The ancient Acropolis hill is covered with snow after heavy snowfall in Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Greece has called in the armed forces to help cope with the damage caused heavy snowfall that has left parts of greater Athens without power and water for up to three days. (Antonis Nikolopoulos/Eurokinissi via AP)
The Associated Press
Greece called in the armed forces Wednesday to help repair widespread damage caused by heavy snowfall in Athens, while blizzards continued to cause havoc in neighboring Turkey and with the snow reaching as far as Libya.
The Athens snowstorm, described by authorities as the most severe in 20 years, blanketed the city and its ancient monuments Tuesday and left parts of the capital without power and water.
Armed forces service members, including marines, used cranes and chain saws to help fire crews clear hundreds of downed trees that damaged the electricity network and blocked roads.
More than 800 fallen trees in greater Athens struck power lines, and hundreds more were reported in nearby areas including the island of Evia off the coast of the southeast mainland.
'œThe main challenge now is to restore the power supply to homes. This storm caused problems around the country,'ť Civil Protection chief Nikos Hardalias said.
'œIn Evia alone, 500 damaged electricity posts and pylons were replaced. The army and crews from civilian agencies worked through the night and are continuing to work now.'ť
Weather conditions improved in Greece Wednesday but continued to cause extensive problems to the east, in Turkey, where blizzards continued to sweep across northern parts of the country as the cold front made its way across the eastern Mediterranean. Snow reached an area in northeastern Libya for the first time in 15 years, and a snowstorm caused road closures in northern Syria.
In Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, icy roads caused multiple car accidents and authorities said up to 50 centimeters (some 20 inches) of snow has accumulated in the metropolis' higher-altitude districts.
Elsewhere in Turkey, 22 people were injured after a passenger bus slid off a highway in the central province of Aksaray and overturned, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Heavy snowfall also closed highways and access to dozens of villages in eastern Turkey and closed schools recently reopened due to pandemic restrictions.
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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey
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The Panathenian stadium, where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896, is covered with snow after heavy snowfall in Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Greece has called in the armed forces to help cope with the damage caused heavy snowfall that has left parts of greater Athens without power and water for up to three days. (Antonis Nikolopoulos/Eurokinissi via AP)
The Associated Press
The ancient Acropolis hill, background, and the temple of Zeus, foreground, are covered with snow after heavy snowfall in Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Greece has called in the armed forces to help cope with the damage caused heavy snowfall that has left parts of greater Athens without power and water for up to three days. (Antonis Nikolopoulos/Eurokinissi via AP)
The Associated Press
The ancient Acropolis hill and the traditional Plaka district, a popular tourist area of Athens, covered with snow after a heavy snowfall in Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Greece has called in the armed forces to help cope with the damage caused heavy snowfall that has left parts of greater Athens without power and water for up to three days. (Antonis Nikolopoulos/Eurokinissi via AP)
The Associated Press
A Greek Orthodox church is covered with snow after heavy snowfall in Dionysos suburb, northern Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Greece has called in the armed forces to help cope with the damage caused heavy snowfall that has left parts of greater Athens without power and water for up to three days. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
The ancient Acropolis hill is covered with snow after heavy snowfall in Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Greece has called in the armed forces to help cope with the damage caused heavy snowfall that has left parts of greater Athens without power and water for up to three days. (Antonis Nikolopoulos/Eurokinissi via AP)
The Associated Press
A bulldozer clears a snow covered road after heavy snowfall in Dionysos suburb, northern Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Greece has called in the armed forces to help cope with the damage caused heavy snowfall that has left parts of greater Athens without power and water for up to three days. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
An Israeli reserve solider takes photos of his family in the snow near the Quneitra border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The Associated Press
An old mobile artillery piece form Mideast wars sits covered with snow in a memorial site near the Quneitra border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The Associated Press
A man walks in the snow near the Quneitra border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The Associated Press
A road with snow is blocked near the Quneitra border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The Associated Press