At least two Dutch skaters are so far reported killed after falling through the ice, despite warnings to skating fanatics to avoid open stretches and keep to shallow lakes and canals.

A 55-year-old man from Rijpwetering, near Leiden, died on Saturday after falling through the ice when he went to test how strong it was, according to media reports. Despite efforts to revive him at the scene, the man died of severe hypothermia.
Meanwhile, the emergency services in Germany have abandoned their search for a Dutch man who went skating just over the border from his home in Limburg.
The 43-year-old man had gone to skate on the Krickenbecker See in Nettetal. Divers who had been searching under the ice for the man stopped their efforts because of dangerous currents, Nos television reported.
Weak spots
Elsewhere, dozens of people have already been rescued after sinking through the ice. Friday’s snow has hidden weak spots in the ice layers, making it hard to assess where it is safe to skate.
‘We would really love to organise a skating route,’ a forestry commission official at the Oostvaardersplassen lakes told the Volkskrant. ‘But today our ice expert went through the ice up to his middle… it is still too soon but we hope to organise a tour and a marathon in the coming week.’

Volkskrant readers’ snow photos