President Donald Trump's abrupt ban on travel to the US from 26 European countries sparked chaos at airports throughout Europe.

In the wake of the announcement on Wednesday, it was unclear whether the ban applied to Americans traveling back from Europe, and people flooded airports to get information and book flights home.

It was "bedlam" at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, the New York Times reporter Mike McIntire said, while Americans in Berlin told NBC News they rushed to the airport.

Trump said the travel ban was designed to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further in the US. It's not clear whether the measure would work.

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President Donald Trump's Wednesday announcement of a ban on travel to the US from 26 European countries caused chaos at European airports as Americans, fearing being caught up in the ban, attempted to travel home early.

Reports emerged of long lines and confusion in some of the busiest airports in Europe as Americans struggled to get information about a travel ban that took even European officials by surprise.

In the wake of the announcement, it was unclear whether the ban applied to Americans returning home from Europe, whether they would face extra checks in the US, or whether flights would be canceled.

The New York Times reporter Mike McIntire described the situation in Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport as "bedlam" and said Americans were paying up to $20,000 for last-minute tickets home.

The NBC News journalist Shannon Ho was about to fly home from Berlin's Tegel Airport when the restrictions were announced. She spoke with several Americans caught up in the chaos.

She said that one man woke up at 3 a.m. to his boss demanding he come home now instead of on Saturday, while another, a Tesla worker, cut their trip short by three weeks.

She said a man who found out about the ban while he was at a club in Berlin "essentially left, booked this flight en route to his hostel, and came straight" to Tegel.

—Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) March 12, 2020

Long lines were also formed in Barcelona, Spain, as Americans flooded into the airport early on Thursday. Michael Bjork, from Minnesota, told the Daily Mail that he got an urgent call from his parents about the travel ban and that he rushed to the airport to book a flight home.

"People started to roll in like a wave," he said. "Almost all Americans and lots of students. Some here on spring break like my group and others studying here for the semester."

He added: "Most people were very confused on what exactly the travel ban meant and honestly we're still a bit confused on the rules."

People watch President Donald Trump's coronavirus speech in a bar in Seattle on Wednesday. REUTERS/Jason Redmond

Trump's temporary ban on travel from the European countries was described as a bid to halt the spread of the coronavirus, though it's unclear whether it would actually stem the outbreak. There were more than 1,300 coronavirus cases in the US as of Thursday.

The White House later clarified that US citizens and permanent residents would be allowed to return but could face enhanced screening measures at certain airports.

The European Union condemned the ban on Thursday.

"The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action," it said. "The European Union disapproves of the fact that the US decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation."