Heavy snow brings chaos to northeast Spain

Heavy snow which began to fall on Monday afternoon has brought chaos to the northeast corner of Spain, shutting down schools and highways.

The snow, which brought the heaviest snowfall to the city of Barcelona in 25 years, was more heavily felt in the interior of the Community of Catalonia.

Schools have been closed in the region because of the cold, while around 200,000 people suffered electricity cuts as a result of the severe weather.

Some 3,000 lorry drivers were forced to sleep in their cabins at the Jonquera pass as the road was closed, while another 3,000 people had to bed down in municipal installations as 174 roads suffered closures.

Firemen in Catalonia answered 985 emergency calls between Monday morning and 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) Tuesday.

Trains shuttling between Barcelona and the further northern town of Girona have been canceled. Long-haul services between Barcelona and France have also stopped.

Municipal bus services in Barcelona were also cut on Monday evening due to the snow, but with the return of brighter weather on Tuesday, services were gradually returning to normal.

Source: Xinhua