Snowstorm causes Europe’s busiest Airport to shut down
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.
The Greek government declared a holiday for parts of the country, including the capital, to keep people from going outside. “We ask citizens to avoid leaving their homes. It will be a difficult night,” Climate Change and Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianides said. “The height of the snow is unprecedented in some areas,” he added.