Ice, snow cause problems on French-German border

Severe wintry weather including heavy snow and freezing rain has caused problems in France, particularly in the region bordering Germany, reported dpa.

There were accidents and traffic disruptions in Alsace and Lorraine on Wednesday, and lorries were banned from driving on main roads.

A young woman was killed in a head-on collision between two cars near Longwy late on Tuesday evening. Several other people were seriously injured in the crash, the newspaper Le Républicain Lorrain reported.

In Metz, an overturned lorry blocked the motorway on Wednesday morning, while in the village of Zellwiller, 35 km south east of Strasbourg, a lorry skidded a primary school. No injuries were caused, according to a report in the Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace newspaper.

Traffic came to a partial standstill on uphill stretches in the Vosges mountains, and gritting lorries were unable to access some roads because of the icy conditions. A severe weather warning was issued for 31 departments in the northern half of France.

French TGV trains are still running to destinations inside Germany, though some German intercity services into France have been disrupted. German trains are said to be more susceptible to damage from falling lumps of ice.