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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Tim Hanlon

Spain holiday hotspots see 2ft of snow as freak -16C Arctic blast hits country

Brit holiday hotspot Majorca has seen more than two feet of snow while temperatures have dropped to -16C in Spain as Storm Juliette continues to wreak havoc.

Better known for its sun-bathed Mediterranean beaches, sinkholes have opened up in Palma, the main city in Majorca, caused by the freak weather which has also seen roads blocked by the snow.

Authorities have said that buildings have collapsed, others have been flooded, roads have been closed and 13 neighbourhoods were left without electricity on the island.

A red weather alert was also put in place due to the possibility of eight metre high waves.

Spain’s official meteorological agency AEMET said that on Tuesday night temperatures dropped to -16C in Molina de Aragon, Guadalajara, in central Spain.

There has been more than two feet of snow that has fallen in Majorca (AFP via Getty Images)

“It was a very cold night for us to be starting the meteorological spring,“ AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo told local media.

Images of snow have been shown in coastal areas including San Sebastian and Barcelona as well as Majorca.

A statement from AEMET read: “Very cold air has arrived to the north east of the country from the Arctic that has caused a significant drop in the temperatures for the peninsula and the Balearic islands. From Wednesday onwards it should start to move away and there should be a slow improvement in the temperatures.”

Snow has led to roads to close and some have collapsed (Joan Llado / GTres / SplashNews.com)

Majorca residents have been told to stay indoors over the past couple of days with the emergency services inundated with more than 350 incidents due to the snow and high winds.

There were 50 people trapped in a monastery after police were forced to close a road due to the conditions.

Orange and yellow weather warnings remain in place across the area for winds of up to 80kmph, snow and waves.

In the centre of Palma, emergency services are trying to tackle a number of sinkholes which are causing traffic chaos.

Emergency services have been called out to more than 350 incidents in Majorca (Joan Llado / GTres / SplashNews.com)

The mayor, Jose Hila, has asked people to use the roads as little as possible while the clean up operation continues.

He, reported Diario de Mallorca, said: "We are trying to find the cause and the areas which are affected. The first priority is for safety and then we will look to cover up the holes.

"If it is just a question of what we can see then it will take about two or three days but if there is more to the problem than that then it will take several days longer. We are asking for residents to use the roads as little as possible at the moment."

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