Madrid was isolated with closed airports, no trains or buses

The great snow that has fallen in Madrid and its region for 24 hours, the most important of the last 60 years, left the streets and highways impassable, thousands of people trapped in their cars, urban land transport and rail suspended and the airport paralyzed on Saturday.

The cold storm and Storm Filomena, which mainly affect central and eastern Spain, cause incidents on more than 430 roads of the country’s main road network and around 50 secondary roads have been cut, most of them in Madrid , Castile- La Mancha and the Valencian Community.

The capital is blocked by half a meter of thick snow, admitted this Saturday the mayor, José Luis Martínez Almeida, who asked for the help of the army to start cleaning the streets as soon as it stops snowing due to the forecast of heavy frosts in the coming days.

It is only possible to get around on foot, something very difficult and dangerous due to the risk of landslides, or in the subway it experiences occasional cuts; trucks are prohibited from driving and private cars can only be moved with chains on the tires, although authorities recommend avoiding moving unless it is “absolutely necessary”.

In the city, parks, sports and cultural facilities will be closed this Saturday and there will be no garbage collection. In addition, all educational centers will remain closed at least Monday and Tuesday, authorities said.

The army and emergency services already saved a thousand drivers on the roads of Madrid. The vehicles were trapped in kilometer lines on several adjacent ring roads and highways, as snowplows were unable to clear the lanes.

Source: EFE