Istanbul's Blue Mosque turned white

In Turkey, snow blanketed most of the country on Monday, leaving thousands of villages cut off, transport badly affected and people struggling to cope with sub-zero temperatures, the agency said.

Four people died on Monday, including a father who froze to death as he walked to a village where his daughter lived.

Other victims includied a hunter found dead in Samsun province, on the Black Sea coast, a 70-year-old homeless man in Izmir, and an elderly man who fell from his roof in Samsun while trying to clear snow, said Anatolia.

Fresh snowfalls - some accompanied by high winds - thwarted efforts to reopen thousands of other roads leading to stranded villages.

The snow is set to continue until Thursday

And hundreds of people have suffered broken limbs after slipping on ice.

Three hundred people suffered fractures in Istanbul in a single day, on Sunday, said the Turkish Health Ministry.

The city's schools also stayed shut, along with those in more than 10 other cities.

In the south-east, dozens of motorists were stranded in the mountainous region of Hakkari, after an avalanche.

These are some of the worst conditions we've seen in 40 or 50 years

Greek weatherman

And a camel-wrestling festival in Incirliova, western Turkey, had to be called off.

"We just couldn't get the camels here," said organiser Serif Temel.

Forecasters have warned that the harsh weather is set to continue.

"Snowfall will affect the Black Sea coastline and the northwestern part of Turkey as of Tuesday until Thursday," said Turkish weatherman Mehmet Yavan.

Worst for decades

In the Greek capital, Athens, authorities have battled to clear snowdrifts up to one metre (three feet) deep.

"These are some of the worst conditions we've seen in 40 or 50 years," said the head of the national weather service, Nikos Xyrakis.

In Italy, parts of the Venice lagoon has frozen over for the first time in 17 years - leaving gondolas stuck in the ice.