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In Pictures

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In Pictures: Madrid shovels out of record blizzard

Rescuers freed 2,500 drivers trapped in their vehicles by the storm, which killed at least three people.

A woman walks by Puerta de Alcala after the heavy snowfall in Madrid. [Gabriel Bouys/AFP]
A woman walks by Puerta de Alcala after the heavy snowfall in Madrid. [Gabriel Bouys/AFP]
12 Jan 2021
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Armed with picks and shovels, Madrid residents slowly shovelled out of Spain’s worst blizzard in decades that turned roads and pavements into skating rinks.

Officials asked people to stay at home if possible after Storm Filomena dumped 20-30 centimetres (seven-eight inches) of snow on the capital between Friday and Saturday.

Emergency services workers and soldiers freed 2,500 drivers trapped in their vehicles by the storm, which killed at least three people.

Lacking enough salt and snowploughs, authorities as of Monday only managed to clear main roads of snow and fallen tree branches.

“The situation is so hard that we wanted to help,” said Blanca Fernandez, a 39-year-old optician’s employee, as she cleared a pavement with a borrowed shovel.

Authorities are worried about the prospect of snow turning to ice, with temperatures expected to fall to minus -13 degrees Celsius (9 Fahrenheit) in the centre of Spain on Tuesday.

“We are still facing difficult days, it will not be easy to return to normality,” Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said at a news conference.

The Madrid region, which is dealing with its heaviest snow since 1971, announced all schools would be closed until January 18.

At Madrid airport, which had been closed most of the weekend, the first flights resumed late on Sunday after the army cleared snow from the runways.

A total of 116 roads across Spain remained closed and nearly 600 were still facing restrictions on their use because of the storm, according to the interior ministry.

Bus services were cancelled but the Madrid metro operated around the clock so essential workers could get to their jobs.

Madrid is trying to get back on its feet after a blizzard paralysed large parts of central Spain over the weekend. [Juan Medina/Reuters]
Madrid is trying to get back on its feet after a blizzard paralysed large parts of central Spain over the weekend. [Juan Medina/Reuters]
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A worker cleans snow from a table outside her coffee shop. [Sergio Perez/Reuters]
A worker cleans snow from a table outside her coffee shop. [Sergio Perez/Reuters]
Madrid has been especially hard hit by the record snowstorm, with much of the city's main services and schools closed. [Susana Vera/Reuters]
Madrid has been especially hard hit by the record snowstorm, with much of the city's main services and schools closed. [Susana Vera/Reuters]
Members of Spain's military shovel snow to open a pass next to cars stuck on a highway. [Marco Trujillo/Reuters]
Members of Spain's military shovel snow to open a pass next to cars stuck on a highway. [Marco Trujillo/Reuters]
With a sharp drop in temperatures freezing much of the snow, authorities called on people to avoid all but essential trips out of their homes. [Marco Trujillo/Reuters]
With a sharp drop in temperatures freezing much of the snow, authorities called on people to avoid all but essential trips out of their homes. [Marco Trujillo/Reuters]
The Spanish military helped clear snow from Madrid's Barajas Airport. Flights were opened late on Sunday but passengers still face chaos because of a backlog. [Fernando Villar/EPA]
The Spanish military helped clear snow from Madrid's Barajas Airport. Flights were opened late on Sunday but passengers still face chaos because of a backlog. [Fernando Villar/EPA]
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An emergency military unit's snowplough cleans the roads surrounding Atocha Railway Station in Madrid. Rail links have slowly been re-established. [Fernando Alvarado/EPA]
An emergency military unit's snowplough cleans the roads surrounding Atocha Railway Station in Madrid. Rail links have slowly been re-established. [Fernando Alvarado/EPA]
Fallen trees are seen in front of the Royal Palace after Storm Filomena hit Madrid. Local authorities estimate more than 150,000 trees have been damaged by heavy snow. [Mariscal/EPA]
Fallen trees are seen in front of the Royal Palace after Storm Filomena hit Madrid. Local authorities estimate more than 150,000 trees have been damaged by heavy snow. [Mariscal/EPA]

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