Fog in Brazil is wreaking havoc on World Cup fans' travel plans

Out of all things that could disrupt Brazil's World Cup festivities, organizers probably didn't expect the weather to be the tournament's latest source of trouble. But Mother Nature had her own plans, as a dense fog permeating over Rio de Janiero Tuesday morning wreaked havoc on the city's airport.

More than one-third of departures from Rio's Santos Dumont airport were canceled, leaving hundreds of people stranded just as they were trying to head to Brazil's second game in Fortaleza this afternoon. The heavy fog not only closed Santos Dumont for four hours, but also caused delays at airports in other host cities.

Sofiane Bekhe, an angry Algerian fan, told Reuters that the delays forced him to miss the only match he had tickets for. "I paid 6,000 euros ($8,200) to come to Brazil and I can't see the game," he said. "I've been in Brazil three days and I just want to go home.''

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up