Moscow has been hit by heavy snow, which has caused disruption to road traffic and flights in and out of three airports in the Russian capital, officials and media reported on Monday.

The snowfall that began on Sunday and continued overnight brought an additional 9in (23cm) to already high levels of snow in Moscow, according to deputy mayor Pyotr Biryukov.

About 135,000 people and 18,000 pieces of equipment were involved in the snow-clearing effort.

Nearly 200 trucks have got stuck in the snow over the past 24 hours, and required assistance from road traffic workers, the Moscow transport department reported.

A total of 53 flights were delayed and five more were cancelled on Monday morning in three out of four Moscow airports, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported.

Most of the delays occurred at Sheremetyevo airport, north of the capital.

The two airports to the south, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, also experienced delays, the report said.

At Zhukovsky airport south-east of the city, flights were departing on schedule, according to Vedomosti.

Heavy snow, as well as temperatures below minus 50C (minus 58F), were also reported in the Siberian region of Yakutia.

In the neighbouring Magadan region similar temperatures were expected in the coming days.