Snowstorm blankets eastern Mediterranean closing airports, schools and vaccination centres

Istanbul airport was forced to shut down while motorists were trapped in cars around Athens as rare heavy snow falls across southeast Europe

Europe's busiest airport shut down in Istanbul on Monday while schools and vaccination centres closed in Athens as a rare snowstorm blanketed swathes of the eastern Mediterranean, causing blackouts and traffic havoc.

The closure of Istanbul Airport - where the roof of one of the cargo terminals collapsed under heavy snow, causing no injuries - grounded flights stretching from the Middle East and Africa to Europe and Asia.