Baetic System) the city of Málaga was limited in means of transport and evacuation. As a result, thousands of citizens in Málaga were left defenceless and unprepared for the attacks at the hands of the Nationalist forces. Therefore, on 8 February, an estimated 15,000–50,000 civilians, chiefly the elderly, women, and children, fled towards the city of Almeria nearly to the east via the main coastal highway, the N-340 road (la carretera N-340). The frantic civilians traveling unprotected along the highway were slaughtered. The Republican Air Force was unable to halt the attacks. Consequences Approximately 3,000–5,000 civilians were killed en route to Almería. Mothers carrying children were slaughtered, leaving many children along the way. The elderly, the injured, and those physically, emotionally, and spiritually incapable of completing the trek were swiftly eradicated. Various accounts from the 1960s claim that corpses could still be found alongside the highway from the aerial and ground attacks. Those who reached Almería were largely rejected by the city’s citizens out of fear of the daunting and encroaching Nationalist forces. Those who declined to evacuate Málaga (approximately 4,000 people) were systematically rounded-up, raped, killed, and piled into mass graves, such as the San Rafael Cemetery. Memoriam The Málaga–Almería road massacre serves as a dark reminder of the political, economic, social, and religious unrest that plagued Spain during the 20th Century. In 2005, a memorial service was initiated in Torre del Mar (approximately halfway between Málaga and Almería) to honor the victims of the massacre. Since then, it has become a tradition to create a memorial wreath for the victims every 7 February. See also List of massacres in Spain Red Terror (Spain) White Terror (Spain) References España: Ayer y Hoy: “La estructura del Estado y la vida política”. Bibliography Muñoz, Pedro M., y Marcelino C. Marcos. “La estructura del Estado y la vida política”. España: Ayer y Hoy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2010. 204–223. Hernández, Javier. "El Blog De Los Kroquetas." Weblog post. El Blog De Los Kroquetas. N.p., 28 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. Geoff, Billett. "Geoffreybillett : Photography." Geoffrey Billett Documentary Photography. N.p., 24 Sept. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. External links San Jose Cemetery Malaga 1937 1937 in Spain Massacres in 1937 Spanish Civil War massacres Mass murder in 1937 February 1937 events History of the province of Málaga