MADRID (SPANISH) – Spain deployed troops to rescue trapped drivers from their vehicles on Saturday following heavy snowfall caused by Storm Filomena, which resulted in travel disruption across the country. Madrid airport, too, remained closed.
“Owing to the forecast of snow and for security, Madrid Barajas airport will remain closed throughout Saturday,” tweeted Aena, which controls the country’s airports.
The terminal was closed on Friday night after the blizzard made aviation impossible. As many as 50 flights to Madrid, Malaga, Tenerife and Ceuta were cancelled, Aena said.
On roads around the capital, soldiers worked hard to retrieve drivers from trapped drivers who were left stranded for hours.
“We continue the rescue of vehicles on the A4, A5, M40 and M607,” tweeted the Unit for Military Emergencies, which pressed into service 147 soldiers.
The city council said on Saturday that the high-speed rail services between Madrid and the southeastern cities of Alicante and Valencia were suspended and so were bus services.
On Saturday, five regions, including Madrid, were on red alert as more heavy snowfalls were predicted, said the State Meteorological Agency said.
People were told to remain indoors.
