Stranded travellers in US take part in roadside mass complete with altar built from snow

Dozens of people who had been stranded due to the blizzard in the US took part in a road side mass complete with an altar built from snow.

The group sang hymns and said prayers after being left stranded on a highway in Pennsylvania.

One student who took part said: "Amazing site from Pennsylvania. Dowling Catholic students stuck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike meet kids on the bus from Missouri. They have a priest. And create a snow altar for mass in the middle of this standstill."

The snow storm spreading from New York to South Carolina and west to Kansas has dumped up to two feet of snow in some areas, affecting millions of people.

A state of emergency is in place in 11 states.