1000 vehicles were trapped on E22 road in Skane area of Sweden

Friday, January 5, 2024

Rescuers spent the entire night rescuing people who were trapped on the main E22 road in the province of Skane in southern Sweden. Almost 1,000 vehicles were submerged in a foot of snow.  

Rescue personnel evacuated a large number of stranded individuals and gave them instructions on how to get back to their cars later.

The Nordic countries experienced an abrupt fall in winter temperatures at the peak of the travel disarray. 

Severe cold blizzards have ravaged parts of Finland, Sweden, and Norway, and snowfall in Denmark has left motorists stranded on a highway near Aarhus since Wednesday.

The coldest night for 25 years has been recorded at the Kvikkjokk-Arrenjarka weather station in northern Sweden, which witnessed a drop to -43.6C.

The car drivers have been evacuated from this dire situation, but the truck drivers had no other option but to remain inside their respective vehicles. However, authorities told the media that they worked incessantly to free 180 trucks. 

About 9:00 local time (08:00 GMT) on Wednesday, snow triggered the E22 between Horby and Kristianstad to become impassible in both directions, triggering delays on the main route. 

In snowdrifts, hundreds of cars came to a stop. Evelina Olsson, who is the police spokesperson, told the media that it was nothing short of chaos. 

On January 3, hundreds of people were trapped in their cars until the snowplows arrived to clear off the road. Due to this situation, a few people suffered from health problems, such as diabetes.

A resident, Erika Sepeliovaite, told the media that she and her two children, along with her dog, were trapped for 19 hours. 

Malin Johansson and her partner, Ahus, told the media that they had no other options but to start their cars at regular intervals to keep them warm. 

After witnessing the uneven situation, the army was dispatched to deliver food and water to the trapped people. 

Trucks were still immobilized but most of the cars had been removed by Thursday morning. Police were sure of the conditions that saw improvement; however, the road has not been completely cleared.

[Image Source: Anadolu Ajansı]

« Back to Page