The Elpis snowstorm brought wintery conditions that are usually unfamiliar to Athens.
Such rare conditions brings unique photographic opportunities, and although Greek City Times did its best to cover all the best snaps taken of the Greek capital covered in snow cover, more and more wonderful images continue to emerge.
READ MORE: The BEST photos of snow covered Athens.
This time, Greek City Times follower and wildlife photographer Basilis Kantelis provided fantastic images of the Acropolis, Hardian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Meanwhile, there will be an extension until Wednesday of the holiday imposed in snowbound areas of Greece for the regions of Attica, the Dodecanese and Cyclades islands and Crete.
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianides announced on Tuesday that the holiday was imposed on Tuesday following the severe problems caused by the Elpis thundersnow that started on Monday.
He said that police, armed forces, fire brigade and civil defence personnel, as well as volunteers, had worked through the night to extricate roughly 3,500 people and 1,800 cars trapped on highways.
Throughout the night, he added, teams from the army, police and fire brigade on foot had distributed blankets, water and food to assist the people trapped in their cars, as well as providing medical care and providing people with shelter in hospitals.
The minister reported that the Proastiakos Railway has transported and is still transporting those that spent the night at the airport to Athens and other safe locations around Attiki Odos, where they were taken by fire brigade, police and army personnel so that they might be picked up by train.
READ MORE: Greek celebrities put on their jackets, gloves and… heels to enjoy snowstorm Elpis.
"This effort is continuing today also, so that all the drivers can be extricated as soon as possible," he said.
Since last night, all the cars abandoned by their owners on Attiki Odos are being moved to the hard shoulder in order to clear the road and allow the snow ploughs to work more efficiently.
Stylianides said that particular attention was paid to medical issues, with the assistance of the ambulance service and Red Cross volunteers.
"Through the superhuman efforts of all the people working in the field, we avoided having any injuries or even something worse. The assistance of EKAB in this was crucial and we thank all the forces that are still operating at this time," he added.
The minister spoke of a "very difficult night", in which the state faced "unprecedented conditions" and noted that the "apology of the state is not and should never be insincere".
"This is not the time to apportion blame. We are now in the field and managing this very difficult situation and we must be undistracted in this work," the minister said.
At the same time, he added, "in a comparison of the situation on the Athens-Lamia national highway with Nea Odos and that with Attiki Odos, on the other hand, the difference is so blatant that it confirms just how groundless are the assertions of the Attiki Odos management company."
READ MORE: Konstantinos Argyros snowboards on the streets of Kolonaki.
