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| Firefighters were called in to assist drivers who had become stuck. In some areas, the military was called in to help clear roads. (Photo by= Reuters) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Storm Filomena has blanketed parts of Spain in heavy snow, with half of the country on red alert for more on Saturday. Road, rail and air travel has been disrupted and interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the country was facing "the most intense storm in the last 50 years".
Madrid, one of the worst affected areas, is set to see up to 20cm (eight inches) of snow in the next 24 hours. Four deaths have been reported so far as a result of Filomena. Officials said two people had been found frozen to death - one in the town of Zarzalejo, north-west of Madrid, and the other in the eastern city of Calatayud. Two people traveling in a car were swept away by floods near the southern city of Malaga.
Firefighters were called in to assist drivers who had become stuck. In some areas, the military was called in to help clear roads.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged people to stay at home and to follow the instructions of emergency services. King Felipe and Queen Letizia took to Twitter to urge "extreme caution against the risks of accumulation of ice and snow". The country's AEMET weather agency said the snowfall was "exceptional and most likely historic". Last Friday evening, numbers of vehicles became stranded on a motorway near Madrid.
