By Karolos Grohmann
ATHENS (Reuters) - Heavy snowfall and freezing temperaturesshut down schools, paralysed traffic and grounded airplanes inGreece and Turkey on Monday.
Athens was covered in several centimetres of snow and theoutskirts were cut off due to heavy snow and ice on the roadsfollowing two days of snowfall.
The Acropolis was also covered by a layer of snow, baskingin the morning sunshine as temperatures hovered aroundfreezing.
Officials said Athens International Airport struggled tostay open. Only 35 flights had landed or taken off throughoutMonday morning and 160 flights had been cancelled, airportofficials said in a statement.
Many shops, offices and businesses remained closed for theday with only a handful of pedestrians walking the streets ofthe city centre as cars needed snow chains.
Police said more than 200 car accidents had been reportedin the past 36 hours due to icy roads and the fire brigade hadreceived more than 170 calls for the transfer of patients toand from hospitals for regular treatment.
In Turkey, where snowfall and subzero temperatures forcedthe closure of schools and universities across much of thecountry, the Bosphorus strait was closed to transit shipping inthe north-south direction since Sunday morning, the coast guardsaid.
The strait is the only navigable waterway between theoil-shipping ports on the Black Sea and the Aegean.
"Like Siberia," read the headline in Turkey's Takvimnewspaper, above pictures of snow ploughs, heavily wrapped-uppedestrians and a grounded airplane at Istanbul airplane.
Hundreds of motorists were stranded around Turkey, somemajor roads were closed, thousands of villages were cut off andat least two people froze to death on Sunday and Monday,Turkish media reported.
The capital Ankara witnessed 355 traffic accidents over thepast 24 hours and nearly 30 people were injured, privatebroadcaster NTV said. Temperatures in Ankara were expected toremain below zero until Wednesday.
In Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city, the bad weather causedmore than 500 accidents.
Snow also made a rare appearance on the islands of Creteand Mykonos early on Monday, while at least 100 villages on theisland of Evia, Crete and central Greece were cut off.
In mountainous eastern Turkey, night temperatures plungedto minus 20 degrees Celsius, and even parts of Turkey'sMediterranean coast -- normally clement in the winter months --experienced rare snowfall.
(Additional reporting by Gareth Jones; Writing by KarolosGrohmann; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)
