Parthenon freeze

Acropolis is shut down as heavy snow blankets southeastern Europe

Freak winter storms paralysed swathes of southeastern Europe on Saturday, claiming five lives, disrupting flights, and prompting Greece and Bulgaria to declare a state of emergency in some areas.

Freak winter storms paralysed swathes of southeastern Europe on Saturday, claiming five lives, disrupting flights, and prompting Greece and Bulgaria to declare a state of emergency in some areas.

Athens was covered by up to eight inches of snow, a rare occurrence which left streets almost deserted and shut down much of Saturday shopping. The Parthenon temple on top of the Acropolis was closed to visitors and in the city's northern suburbs, where it was still snowing heavily mid-afternoon, roads were impassable and electricity blackouts were frequent.

The storm, which Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis said was the worst weather in 40 years, forced the government to declare states of emergency in Attika, the province in which Athens is located, and two neighbouring provinces. Police said hundreds of people had been stranded in cars, some for as much as 18 hours, on the main highway leading north from Athens.

In Turkey, two men froze to death in the southeast of the country and two more died in the commercial capital, Istanbul, in the icy temperatures. In Romania, authorities used dynamite to break ice blocks on rivers which left several cities in the Transylvania region without water.