American Marconi Wireless News - Heavy rains unleash landslides, flooding in Scandinavia

A storm dubbed "Hans" swept in over the Nordic countries over the weekend, leaving a path of destruction.

Residents of the ski resort town of Are in northwestern Sweden were advised to stay clear of the Susabacken stream after it overflowed, sending mud and rocks coursing through the town and causing damage to roads and houses, Sweden's crisis information website Krisinformation reported.

In the southwestern part of the country, fishmongers in Gothenburg found the market at the city's fishing harbour under water after the Gota river flooded.

On Monday, two wagons of a passenger train derailed in eastern Sweden after a railway embankment collapsed due to heavy rains, leaving three people injured.

In neighbouring Norway, police reported several landslides in the southeast on Tuesday, with media reporting that over 100 people had been evacuated as a result.

Weather agencies in Sweden and Norway both issued alerts for severe flooding in several parts of their respective countries.

The heavy rains also caused traffic disruptions, with numerous roads closed and trains and ferries cancelled.

Denmark's meteorological agency DMI meanwhile warned of storm winds in the country's north.

Danish police said in a statement that rescue services' efforts to put out a wildfire near the town of Klitmoller were "hampered" by the strong winds.

P.Stevenson--AMWN