Thousands rescued from highway after snowstorm hits Greece

ATHENS: Thousands of stranded passengers and motorists were evacuated by army and rescue teams early Tuesday after a snowstorm hit the Greek capital Athens, sowing chaos, foreign media reported. Some 3,000 to 3,500 people were rescued starting late Monday night, while dozens stillremain trapped on Attica’s biggest ring road. An estimated 5,000 people spent hours trapped in their cars. Some left their vehicles on foot, often with young children, according to social media posts.

Some spent more than 20 hours trapped on Attica’s biggest ring road, and since Monday the army along with the fire department and police have been supplying stranded people in below-freezing temperatures with blankets, water, and food, authorities said. Efforts are still taking place to evacuate the remaining passengers and motorists. On social media, outraged passengers and motorists lashed out at the government and the private firm managing the ring road for not being prepared.

“The company will take a more detailed stance on the decisions and conditions that led to these unprecedented events after the completion of the cars’ rescue operation,” it said in an announcement.