By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN (AA) - Berlin’s main airport was shut down Friday as freezing rain coated runways with ice, stranding thousands of travelers and contributing to deadly accidents across the German capital region.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) said all takeoffs and landings were suspended since early morning, with no clear timeline for resuming operations. The airport urged passengers to check flight status before heading to the terminal.
Germany’s weather service (DWD) issued severe warnings for black ice and freezing rain across Berlin and parts of Brandenburg, calling the conditions life-threatening. The agency said snow and icy rain would persist through the weekend and into early next week.
Two people were killed Friday morning in Klettwitz when their car skidded off the road and struck a tree, police said. The deaths followed a multi-car collision Thursday afternoon on the A10 motorway near Potsdam, where at least 21 vehicles collided in icy conditions, injuring 19 people.
Public transport was also affected. Berlin’s U2 subway line ran at reduced frequency, operating every 15 minutes only between Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and Pankow. The RE7 regional train between Senftenberg and Berlin-Gesundbrunnen experienced widespread cancellations and delays, according to the Berlin traffic information center.