Thousands evacuated from Athens motorway as snowstorm hits Greece

A police car drives past the Greek parliament building, following heavy snowfall in Athens, Greece, January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Rescue crews, including the army, worked through the night to evacuate thousands of people stranded in their cars on an Athens motorway after a severe snowstorm swept across Greece on Monday, blanketing the capital and causing traffic chaos.

More than 3,500 people had been evacuated by early Tuesday, some abandoning their cars on foot, but around 1,200 cars remained stuck on the Attiki Odos, the capital's main ring-road, government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou said.