Snowstorm disrupts traffic in Finland

HELSINKI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Finland was taken by surprise by a heavy snowstorm, which caused major traffic problems throughout the country on Tuesday.

The railroad between Helsinki and Turku was closed part of the day as trees had fallen on the tracks due to heavy snow, local media reported.

The snow also damaged railroad electricity lines in southeastern Finland, causing delays of up to three hours.

Numerous small accidents were reported on highways and some heavy duty trucks were stuck in snow.

There were major delays at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport. The airport operator Finavia noted, however, that the delays were not snow related but were caused by strong sidewind that made two of the three runways inoperable for several hours.

Finavia also said the weather related delays in continental European airports had repercussions on services in and out of Finland. Enditem