Madrid officials are running frantically to dig up the massive snowstorm in the Spanish capital in a race against falling temperatures.
Four people died on Friday and Saturday when up to 20 centimeters of snow fell on the city and its surroundings – including two that froze to death, the BBC said in a report on Monday.
Officials fear that the cold weather will freeze the snow piles in the city and create even more dangerous conditions.
With temperatures now dropping below 20 degrees overnight, the Spanish government has stepped up clean-up – transporting about 3,500 tonnes of road salt to the capital.
Spanish officials have also deployed police to accompany convoys to ensure that 300,000 coronavirus vaccines are delivered to the city despite the winter storm.
Up to 700 major roads in and around Madrid have been blocked, the BBC said.
The snowstorm was the worst to hit Spain in a 1971 blizzard that fell to 20 inches of snow across the country.