Updated | Freezing conditions causes multiple deaths, chaos across Europe

Heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures sweeping the European continent have caused more than a dozen deaths while halting traffic, grounding flights and crippling ferries.

At least 10 people died of the cold in Poland in recent days, including seven men on Friday, official said, as temperatures plummeted below minus 20C on Saturday. A 51-year-old died when he was asphyxiated by carbon monoxide from a malfunctioning heater.

In Belgium a man died after his lorry slid off a highway, while in Italy, sub-freezing temperatures were blamed for the deaths of half a dozen homeless people. Heavy snow and high winds resulted in rerouted flights, delayed ferries, cancelled trains and closed roads, media reported.

Heavy snow crippled Istanbul and national carrier Turkish Airlines cancelled more than 650 flights. As a result of the cancellations, foreign minister George Vella's trip to Turkey to address a meeting of Turkish ambassadors was called off.

Meanwhile, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the Bosporus Strait — which runs through Istanbul and is one of Europe’s busiest shipping lanes — was closed and ferry services halted. Turkey’s private Dogan news agency reported one of the main highways in Istanbul practically turned into a parking lot after drivers deserted their cars on Friday night to walk home rather than battle the gusting snow and slippery roads.

My trip to Turkey to address a meeting of Turkish ambassadors called off due to flight cancellations by Turkish Airlines due to bad weather.

— George W. Vella (@MFAMalta) January 8, 2017

With no indication of a letup, some schools in southern Italy were ordered not to open on Monday because of as much as a metre of snow, the ANSA news agency reported. In Rome the fountains in St Peter’s Square froze overnight and dripped icicles instead.

Temperatures dropped to -7C in Greece’s second largest city of Thessaloniki and a low of -10C was expected on Sunday, said the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

Roads were closed temporarily across large swathes of northern Greece due to snow and ice.

It has also been the coldest Orthodox Christmas in Russia for 120 years, with thermometers reading minus 30C overnight in Moscow, and minus 24C in St Petersburg.

In northern Europe, where residents are accustomed to sub-zero temperatures and snowy winters, police in Denmark warned about icy and slippery roads after dozens of minor traffic accidents.

Temperatures in Latvia were forecast to drop to -30C late on Saturday, the Baltic News Agency said.

In the former Olympic ski resort of Sarajevo, in Bosnia, many skiers stayed away from the slopes as temperatures dipped to minus 27C, Sky News reported.