Storm Austen injures several, disrupts transport in Belgium

Storm Austen swept across Belgium on Friday, bringing strong winds and rain, injuring several people. Rail, road, air and maritime transport were also disrupted, reported Xinhua.

According to the Brussels fire service, a tree fell onto a restaurant terrace near the Grand Place in central Brussels, injuring three people. Another person was struck by a falling branch in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, a municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region.

Belgium's Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) issued orange alerts for strong winds in several parts of the country, including Brussels, where the alert was set to be downgraded to yellow at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).

On Friday evening, Beaufort Force 9 winds were recorded at the Westhinder monitoring station in Belgian waters of the North Sea. Peak gusts reached 99 km/h in the coastal town of Blankenberge and 97 km/h in Chievres, in Wallonia's Hainaut province.

Several railway lines were affected by fallen trees and strong winds. Rail infrastructure operator Infrabel reported about eight incidents in Flanders and Brussels in the evening. Near Puurs, in Antwerp province, a fallen tree damaged overhead lines, leaving about 45 passengers stranded on a train for nearly three hours before they were all evacuated. Rail services were also disrupted in Wallonia.

In Brussels, six tram lines remained affected on Friday evening due to damaged overhead lines, according to public transport operator STIB. On Flemish motorways, traffic jams reached a combined length of about 250 km at their peak during the evening rush hour.

Authorities also closed parks, nature reserves and wooded areas in Brussels until Saturday morning. Residents were advised to avoid trees and unnecessary travel.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges said vessel arrivals and departures had been suspended, with traffic expected to resume on Saturday morning. Shipping to and from the Port of Ghent was also affected. At Brussels Airport, two inbound flights were diverted to Amsterdam because of strong winds, while other flights were delayed, according to the airport.

The storm brought down trees, damaged rooftops and blocked roads across the country, prompting numerous calls to emergency services. The Brussels fire service said it had completed dozens of storm-related operations by Friday evening, with dozens more pending. Belgium's National Crisis Center said nearly 2.8 million alert messages were sent through the BE-Alert system on Thursday and Friday.

According to the RMI, winds were expected to ease inland later on Friday evening, while strong gusts would persist along the coast. Another storm, Boelo, was forecast to bring fresh rainfall and stronger winds from Saturday evening into Sunday.