People crossing the road in the snow. File photoATHENA, Jan 25Due to heavy snowfall, five thousand drivers are blocked on the Attiki Odos National Highway, many are sitting in a snow trap for more than 12 hours, according to Proto Tema. Snow, meter-long snowdrifts everywhere. The Greek authorities on Monday evening began a large-scale operation to rescue hundreds of cars from the snow captivity on the Attiki Odos, Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Christos Stylianidis said at an emergency briefing. The operation to unblock drivers is being carried out with the participation of the fire department, the police and with a lot of help from the armed forces, as well as volunteers. «About a hundred drivers were helped in the first three hours,» the publication reports. «The army operation is being carried out in very difficult conditions, because it is snowing heavily and dozens of cars are trapped. There is information that about five thousand drivers were blocked,» writes Proto Tema. Several journalists covering the events also fell into the snow trap .There are reports on social media that some drivers are trapped in the snow for 14 hours.Krasnodar airport again suspended work due to snowfall. Many people criticize the authorities for their inability to rescue people and organize normal life activities. A lot of caricatures of the authorities have also appeared on social networks, and Attiki odos (Road of Attica) is being renamed into Arktiki odos — Road of the Arctic. People share photos and impressions of being in the cold.According to media reports, the prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the causes of the situation.The highway maintenance company apologized for the situation. «Attiki Odos» informs with a sense of responsibility that his main and exclusive concern is the unblocking and the safety of all drivers who stand motionless in both directions of Attiki Odos. Once the unblocking operation is completed, the company will provide details on the decisions and conditions that led to these unprecedented events, which Attiki odos has experienced for the first time in 20 years of operation,» the statement said. Attiki odos expresses regret and apologizes to the drivers and their families for the inconvenience, and assures that it is making every effort to safely resolve the problem,» the company said. Now in Athens, the roads are empty — only rare cars pass. In Greece, winter tires are practically not used, since most of the country does not have snow in winter. Snowplows are almost invisible.Greek authorities have banned cars without snow chains from driving on the roads. in Moscow
