Visitors pose for a picture in front of the frozen Mirusha waterfalls near the village of Lapceve, Kosovo, Monday (AP photo)

WARSAW — A cold snap gripping Europe has killed more than 30 people in recent days, left thousands of travellers stranded in snow-covered Turkey and brought fresh misery for migrants and the homeless. A cold wave across Europe has left at least 20 people dead in the past two days, including several homeless and migrants, authorities said Saturday, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue through the weekend. Polar temperatures of between minus 15 and minus 26 degrees Celsius (5 and minus 15 Fahrenheit) saw ice forming on the Adriatic sea and the Danube, while countless smaller rivers, lakes and ponds froze. “This takes to 53 the number of hypothermia victims since November 1.”

 In Italy in the past 48 hours the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said. On the island of Lesbos, drivers needed snow chains to drive just outside the main port town of Mytilene, while heavy snowfall also hit Chios and parts of the southern island of Crete, from where some flights to Athens were cancelled. Istanbul schools will stay closed on Tuesday as snow continues to buffet the city, halting ferries on the Bosporus Strait that provide transportation for many commuters in the city straddling the narrow gap between Asia and Europe. Flagship carrier Turkish Airlines said 314 flights were cancelled on Monday, with CEO Bilal Eksi telling angry passengers that snow had caused a lack of take-off and landing slots at Ataturk Airport. Belgrade, Serbia - Heavy snow and frigid temperatures have gripped large parts of Europe, leading to dozens of deaths, freezing rivers, the grounding of planes and traffic accidents. Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight and to minus 24 in Saint Petersburg where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia. The Russian Meteorological Service said the Orthodox Christmas Eve on Jan. 6 was the coldest in Moscow since 1987 when temperatures plunged below -31 C (-24 F). Greece

Swathes of Greece have been covered by snow, including several islands, some of which have seen more than a meter (more than three feet) of snow.
Dozens of people die in eastern Europe and Italy in recent days as a result of a cold snap with cancelled flights, frozen rivers, and traffic accidents.