Spain Has to Rescue 1.5K Drivers

Winter storm Filomena dumped snow on a region not known for snow

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Posted Jan 10, 2021 8:00 AM CST

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Historic Snow in Spain Leaves 1500 Drivers Stranded — A couple clears the entrance of their home during a heavy snowfall in Bustarviejo, outskirts of Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Emergency crews in central Spain cleared 500 roads and rescued over 1,500 people stranded in vehicles as the country slowly shovels out of its worst snowstorm in recent memory, per the AP. Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas International Airport remained closed Sunday as it has since Friday night. Train lines traversing the capital were also shut down and over 150 roads were still impassable. Storm Filomena has lost strength as it moved eastward but authorities are still urging people to remain at home to limit the risk of falls on icy streets ahead of a severe drop in temperatures in the coming days. Spain’s weather service forecasts temperatures to drop as low as 6 degrees Fahrenheit in the eastern province of Albacete by Tuesday.

Army emergency brigades are focusing on clearing access to Madrid's main fresh food distribution center and to hospitals as Spain also grapples with its coronavirus crisis, with infections on the rise following the Christmas holidays. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the government will take extra steps to ensure that the country’s weekly shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on Monday can be distributed to regional health authorities via police-escorted convoys. Spain has seen over 51,800 confirmed virus deaths in the pandemic.

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