A massive Nordic snowstorm stranded at least 1,000 vehicles for more than 24 hours before most motorists were rescued Thursday morning ,thanks to road crews, police and the army. Photo by Johan Nilsson/EPA-EFE
Jan. 4 (UPI) — Stranded motorists who were trapped when a massive snowstorm stranded at least 1,000 vehicles on a major Swedish thoroughfare for more than 24 hours have been evacuated, officials reported late Thursday.
They were stuck along the main roadway between the Skane area and southern Sweden, and it took police, rescue crews and the army working through the night to free them, authorities reported. People were told they could retrieve their cars later.
“It is total chaos,” police spokeswoman Evelina Olsson said. “The problem is that it is snowing so heavily that the road is covered in snow just half an hour after plowing.”
The army was dispatched to deliver food and water to the stranded motorists, most of whom had been freed by Thursday morning. Officials said later in the day that they were still working to free about 180 trucks and their drivers stranded on the E22.
The travel chaos comes during a frigid Nordic blast and plummeting temperatures that left Sweden, Finland and Norway in the deep freeze. A snowstorm in Denmark trapped motorists on a roadway near Aarhus on Wednesday.
The official weather station in northern Sweden recorded its coldest night in a quarter century 25 years earlier in the week, and reported an overnight low of -43.6 degrees C.
The shutdown happened quickly as blizzard conditions made the E22 impassable in both directions about 9 a.m. local time Wednesday, and promptly forced hundreds of cars to grind to a halt in snow drifts between Horby and Kristianstad.
It took until Wednesday evening for snowplows to arrive to start working toward freeing people trapped in the vehicles, some of whom had medical issues, including diabetes, authorities said.
Many motorists reported starting their cars at regular intervals to stay warm.
Buses and trains were canceled in the region Thursday morning as rescuers continued to work toward freeing the stranded motorists by cutting through the road’s central barrier.
Most of the vehicles were cleared by Thursday morning but authorities continued to warn against non-essential travel.