Andreas Apostolidis, 64, and Costas Georgiou, 74, were arrested in an attempt to smuggle 24 million cigarettes imported illegally in the country.

Representatives of the union of workers in the Athens underground broke into the building of the Sepolia depot and blocked the centre controlling the underground transport. Transport services in the city have been hampered, and buses and the regional train are running to the airport.

The schools in seven Athenian suburbs have been closed due to the snowstorm and the municipality in the capital has opened three buildings to shelter the homeless in the freezing January night.