Italy has sent hundreds of soldiers to the streets of Milan to help ease circulation after heavy snowstorms and freezing temperatures forced airports to be closed and trains to be halted.
The Defence Ministry said Tuesday that some 600 soldiers have begun to shovel snow, while another 200 will be deployed in the coming hours.
Snowfall has wreaked havoc on traffic in Milan, Italy's financial capital, and elsewhere in the north of the country. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and thousands of train passengers have been stranded at railway stations or on carriages, often without heating, according to Italian news reports.
The bad weather is forecast to continue.
AP