At least 14 people died on Thursday as strong winds lashed northern Europe, sowing travel chaos and forcing dramatic helicopter rescues of sailors stranded at sea, Reuters reported. Flights were disrupted. Dutch and German railways suspended most services as rare hurricane-force winds lashed the country. "Things have ground to a halt -- this is unprecedented," Deutsche Bahn boss Hartmut Mehdorn said. In Britain, where winds gusted up to 99 mph (160 kph), five motorists died, two more people were killed in the northern town of Manchester and a boy died when a wall collapsed on him in London. Rescuers winched 26 sailors to safety after they were forced to abandon their container ship when it began sinking in stormy seas in the English Channel. In Ireland, flights were cancelled or delayed and most ferry sailings to Britain and France were called off. Germans and Dutch where told to stay indoors and many schools closed early. Two people died in the Netherlands when an uprooted tree crushed their car and a motorcyclist was killed when he was hit by a tree, local media said. Winds gusting over 100 kph and heavy rains forced Dutch flight and rail cancellations and caused injuries in the worst storm in years. Strong winds damaged the arched roof of Amsterdam's Central Station, with falling glass prompting authorities to ban passengers from platforms and stop trains. The weather also disrupted shipping at Rotterdam's port, Europe's busiest, and caused an oil spill at one of its terminals when a drifting container ship bumped into an oil jetty. After leaving a trail of damage in Britain, the Netherlands and the English Channel, the storm hit Germany, uprooting trees, damaging buildings, causing widespread flooding and major road and rail delays.
