Swedish snow chaos leaves 1,000 vehicles trapped on main road

People who got trapped in 1,000 vehicles in heavy snow for more than 24 hours have been evacuated, Swedish authorities say, Azernews reports citing BBC.

Rescuers worked through the night to free people stuck on the main E22 road in the Skane area of southern Sweden.

Many of those trapped were evacuated by rescue teams and told to return to their cars later.

The travel chaos occurred amid plummeting winter temperatures across the Nordic countries.

Extreme cold weather has hit parts of Sweden, Finland and Norway, and snow storms in Denmark have left drivers trapped on a motorway near Aarhus since Wednesday.

The Kvikkjokk-Arrenjarka weather station in northern Sweden recorded its coldest night for 25 years on Tuesday night, with temperatures dropping to -43.6C.

Rescuers said all people travelling by car had been evacuated and only lorry drivers remained in their vehicles by Thursday morning.

The disruption on the main E22 began at about 09:00 local time (08:00 GMT) on Wednesday when snow made the E22 impassable in both directions between Horby and Kristianstad. Hundreds of cars ground to a halt in snowdrifts.

"It is total chaos," police spokesperson Evelina Olsson said.

In pictures: Nordic states gripped by winter freeze
Snow ploughs arrived on Wednesday evening and police and rescuers worked through the night to free people in the hundreds of trapped cars. Some had medical issues, including diabetes.

Trucks wait in a queue as vehicles are still stuck along the European route E22, in Linderod, southern Sweden, 04 January 2024
Rescue teams began clearing cars from the snowbound E22 but many of the lorries were expected to remain on the road until Friday.

The army was dispatched to deliver food and water to the people trapped.

On Thursday morning many of the cars had been cleared, although lorries were still stuck. Police said conditions were beginning to improve but added that the road would not be cleared until 08:00 on Friday at the earliest.

Buses and trains were cancelled in the Skane region on Thursday morning and authorities urged people to avoid unessential travel.