Winter Storm Filomena Wreaks Havoc In Spain

Storm Filomena blankets Spain with snow and wreaks havoc

Rare winter storm Filomena claimed several lives in Spain, burying large parts of the country under the biggest winter snowfall in a generation.

Five regions in Spain were put on red alert on Saturday, as winter storm Filomena caused chaos acrossthe country.

The country's capital Madrid was particularly affected, prompting the closure of Barajas airport and leaving hundreds of motorists stranded on roads. 

Spain's AEMET weather agency described the weather emergency as "exceptional and most likely historic." Filomena has so far caused the heaviest snowfalls in Madrid since 1971. 

But more is expected, as another 20 centimeters (nearly eight inches) was forecast to fall Saturday inMadrid and central Spain's lower plains. 

"It's been a complicated day, but tomorrow is going to be even more difficult," Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said on Friday, describing the situation in the city as "extremely serious" and urging residents not to leave their homes. 

Madrid's emergencies agency said they had worked all night on Friday to help trapped motorists, freeing 1,000 vehicles. High-speed rail services to and from Madrid have been suspended, newspaper El Pais reported.

Emergency services were also handing out free food and drinks to drivers trapped by the snow, the newspaper said.

More than a dozen regions affected 

Several lives have been lost to the powerful storm. A couple died after they were trapped in their car when a river burst its banks near Malaga, southern Spain, while two homeless people froze to death, one in the eastern city of Calatayud and the other in Madrid, authorities said.

Police from the capital shared pictures of a precinct where the roof had caved in under the weight of the snow, adding: "Fortunately colleagues and relatives are OK."

The President of the region of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, announced that schools and universities would be closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Nine regions in the country have been put under the highest level of alert, including Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Valencia and Aragon. Some 20 centimeters of snow is expected to be dumped on these regions on Saturday. 

A record low temperature of -35.6 degrees Celsius (-32 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded at Vega deLourdes in Leon, northern Spain, AEMET said. 

Meanwhile, in the southern Canary Islands, rainfall and strong winds have paired with unusually rough seas with giant waves, leading emergency services to rescue 65 people from a ferry that ran aground while trying to approach a dock in the Gran Canaria island.