Severe storms have forced the cancellation of all flights to and from the Canary Islands. Nine thousand travellers have been stranded.

 
The Canary Islands lie off the north-west coast of Africa and consist of ten islands, of which La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera have been hardest hit. There has been only limited travel to and from them since Sunday.
 
With meteorologists reporting wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour in the area, the Spanish government has issued a severe weather alert for the islands.