Snowfall traps thousands in northwest Spain

Thousands of people, including children, were left stranded in their vehicles on Sunday owing to heavy snowfall in multiple sections of a motorway in Spain, as many tried to return from Christmas vacations.

Having been trapped since Saturday evening on the AP-6 motorway in northwestern Spain, large numbers of drivers condemned the lack of information and the chaos caused by the absence of snowplows, while a military emergency unit asserted it was working to resolve the problem, Efe reported.

Over 250 members of that unit, which belongs to the army, were working to clear the road and reach stranded drivers.

The situation in Segovia was "very complicated" according to official sources, which recommended that people avoid traveling by car, as the weather forecast had predicted further snowfall.

The Directorate General of Traffic warned that snowfall had been predicted in 17 of Spain's provinces.

The main opposition Socialist Party accused the government of a lack of foresight and bad management.

--IANS

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