A storm brought heavy rain and strong winds across northern Europe overnight and into Friday, bringing down trees and prompting warnings of flooding on the North Sea coast.
ADVERTISEMENTA woman in Belgium was fatally injured by a falling Christmas tree, while another tree killed a woman in the Netherlands.
Travel was also disrupted just before Christmas. In Norway, flight and ferry departures have been cancelled, and in several places, the wind has already caused damage.
On Friday, Storm Pia hit Denmark and the wind remained strong in many parts of the country. There have been some fallen trees and flooding in many coastal areas during the night.
Pre-Christmas rail travellers in parts of Germany faced cancellations, delays and diversions. Routes affected included those from Hamburg and Hannover to Frankfurt and Munich.
German authorities warned of a storm surge of up to three metres or more above mean high tide on parts of the North Sea coast on Friday.