Winter weather has snarled travel across Turkiye’s 16 million-strong city, forcing the suspension of flight operations at Istanbul Airport due to heavy snowfall. “The suspension of flight operations have been extended until 1000 GMT on January 25 due to adverse weather conditions,” the Istanbul Airport said on its website.
Turkish Airlines announced Monday that all flights would be canceled from Istanbul Airport due to the airport’s closure.
On Tuesday, officials announced that all public institution employees would be on administrative leave.
Turkish Governor Ali Yerlikaya announced on Twitter that private vehicles won’t be allowed on the roads until 1000 GMT while the emergency teams continue to clean the roadways.
Thousands of cars and trucks are stranded in the snow, according to footage shared by the governor. On Monday, Turkish Airlines announced it had canceled all flights to and from Istanbul Airport due to the closure.
Heavy snowfall in Zeytinburnu, Bahcelievler, Sariyer, and Kagithane resulted in traffic jams on the European side of the city. Firefighters trying to rescue a vehicle from Pendik got stuck in the road when they tried to rescue it from the Asian part of the city.
Various buildings and hotels gave shelter to 1,300 homeless people during the cold frigid weather, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said in a statement.
Until further notice, the routes from northwestern Turkiye to Istanbul are closed due to heavy snowfall, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said. In addition, the city distributed more than two tons of food each day to 500 sites for stray animals, according to the statement.
Thousands of people and vehicles were left stranded in Istanbul overnight in sub-freezing conditions after a massive snowstorm hit the city and clogged major throughways. A low-pressure system originating in Iceland is said to be behind the cold front and precipitation affecting most of the country, according to AKOM, the city’s emergency management agency. Likewise, Greece suffered from the storm, which caused chaos in Athens and shut down most public transportation.
Sabiha Gokcen, Istanbul’s second airport, only operated limited services.
