Massive storm pounds Europe; hurricane-force gusts in U.K.

LONDON  - Hurricane-force gusts hit Britain on Thursday as part of a powerful storm moving across Europe, disrupting air travel, halting trains and leaving tens of thousands of homes without electricity. Accidents linked to the storm killed three people.

Authorities evacuated some 10,000 homes along the eastern English coast after warning that the country could face its worst tidal surge in 60 years. The Thames Barrier - a series of huge metal plates that can be raised across the entire river - was being closed late Thursday to protect London from the surge.

The storm plowed into Scotland overnight, slamming the highlands with gusts up to 142 miles (229 kilometers) per hour. Trains were suspended for much of the day, but began to run fitfully later as some routes were cleared of debris.

Rescue teams ferried residents to safety by boat in north Wales, while officials in other areas handed out sandbags and set up emergency shelters.

Almost all flights to and from Hamburg airport in northern Germany were also canceled and Dutch carrier KLM canceled dozens of flights to European airports.

The German Weather Service said the storm front, which was gathering strength as it headed eastward from the Atlantic Ocean off Greenland, would also bring polar air and some snow to Europe.

Some schools in the northern Netherlands closed early so children could get home safely to celebrate Sinterklaas - the traditional Dutch version of Christmas - with their families.

Passengers on an easyJet flight from London to Glasgow, Scotland, wound up landing in Manchester after aborted attempts to land in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

As the plane neared Scotland, "suddenly everything started shaking and bumping, we were going up and down, up and down," said passenger Hazel Bedford.

"An awful lot of people were being sick but the plane, it was incredibly quiet. When cabin crew said 'We're going to Manchester,' people started to realize this was serious," she said.

An accident west of Edinburgh claimed the life a truck driver and a falling tree killed a man in Nottinghamshire.

Police in western Denmark said a 72-year-old woman died when the van she was in was knocked over in the storm.

Forecasters predicted winds gusting up to 87 mph (140 kph) along Germany's North Sea coast.

Ferry operators canceled services to some of Germany's North Sea islands and the country's national railway, Deutsche Bahn, warned of likely disruptions across northern Germany.

German authorities reported flooding on the tiny low-lying North Sea islands of Langeness and Hooge near Denmark, the DPA news agency reported. Residents protected their homes with sandbags against the rising waters but Langeness mayor Heike Hinrichsen warned if the seas rose as high as predicted, the "waves of the North Sea will be lapping at the houses."

"Nobody on the islands will be closing their eyes tonight," said Langeness resident Fiede Nissen. "It's already tense."

The Netherlands closed water barriers to protect the low-lying country from high tides, including the Oosterscheldekering barrier in the southwestern delta region, which was closed for the first time since 2007.

Water authorities in the northern Dutch province of Friesland were patrolling dikes to make sure any breeches or damages from the high tides were quickly repaired. The dikes were built to withstand water levels 5 meters (nearly 16 1/2 feet) above normal.

Thursday's tide was predicted to be around 3.3 meters (10 feet) higher than normal, the authority said.

In Scandinavia, Danish and Norwegian police urged people to stay indoors and avoid the gusts.

In Denmark, the nation's largest department store, Magasin du Nord, closed three hours early so employees could get home.