Stranded drivers freed in Istanbul and Athens after snowstorm

Stranded motorists spent the night in cars, abandoned their vehicles to walk home or crowded subways and other public transport

People walk over the Golden Horn with Suleymaniye Mosque in the background at Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. Rescue crews in Istanbul and Athens on Tuesday cleared roads that had come to a standstill after a massive cold front and snowstorms hit much of Turkey and Greece, leaving countless people and vehicles in both cities stranded overnight in freezing conditions.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Rescue crews in Istanbul and Athens have cleared roads that had come to a standstill after a massive cold front and snowstorms hit much of Turkey and Greece, leaving countless people and vehicles in both cities stranded overnight in freezing conditions.

Roads in and around Istanbul became clogged on Monday after the storm pounded the city of about 16 million people that straddles the European and Asian continents — accumulating more than 80cm (31in) of snow in some areas.