Winter storm Eleanor disrupts transportation in Europe, leaves houses without power

Winter storm Eleanor swept into France, Belgium and the Netherlands on Wednesday after tearing through England and Northern Ireland, cutting power to tens of thousands of people and forcing airports and train services to halt operations.

Winter storm Eleanor swept into France, Belgium and the Netherlands on Wednesday after tearing through England and Northern Ireland, cutting power to tens of thousands of people and forcing airports and train services to halt operations. (Photo | AP) 

Heavy winds led the airports in Strasbourg and Basel-Mulhouse on France's border with Germany and Switzerland to close before they were reopened shortly after midday. (Photo | AP)

The storm is now heading for the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, where meteorologists are warning of violent gusts that could reach 200 kilometres per hour. (Photo | AP)

The Eiffel Tower, which attracts six million visitors a year, was closed until at least Wednesday afternoon, while worries about falling tree branches prompted Paris officials to close all city parks for the day. (Photo | AFP)

About 200,000 homes across northern France were without electricity, while 'particularly intense' flooding was expected on the Atlantic coasts. (Photo | AP)

Children stand on the seafront as a wave crashes over the sea wall in Aberystwyth in west Wales as Storm Eleanor lashed Britain with violent storm-force winds of up to 100mph, leaving thousands of homes without power and hitting transport links on Wednesday. (Photo | AP)