COPENHAGEN, Nov 18 (AFP) - A massive storm hit Denmark early Thursday with wind gales of up to 30 meters per second, disrupting land and sea traffic, the Danish Meteorological Institute and rescue services said.
The storm barreled in over the Danish shores of the North Sea, and water levels rose by three to four meters in a number of western ports.
The Grand Baelt bridge, which links the eastern and western parts of the country, was closed to traffic all night and was not set to reopen until 11 a.m. (1000 GMT) when wind forces were expected to diminish, according to the country's highway authority.
The gusts of wind uprooted dozens of trees and blew roofs off of houses.
The town of Odense on the island of Fionie in central Denmark was meanwhile left without power for about 30 minutes after a transformer there exploded.
Boat traffic between the islands that make up the Scandinavian country was in many places suspended, as was ferry traffic between Hirtshals in northwestern Denmark and Kristiansand in southern Norway.
The storm reached Copenhagen on the Seeland island Thursday morning before slamming down on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, where it caused serious material damage, according to rescue services here, which had been expecting the storm and had launched a disaster response plan.
11/18/2004 10:05 GMT - AFP