İstanbul hit by heavy snow: Airports and highways closed

* Photos: AA

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İstanbul and the Marmara region have been severely affected by heavy snowfall and blizzards. After the İstanbul Airport, the Sabiha Gökçen and Atatürk Airports have also been closed to air traffic.

Upon the order of the General Directorate of Civilian Aviation, both airports have been closed until 4 am today (January 25). As the meteorological data shows that the snowfall will continue to affect the city, the İstanbul Airport, the new airport, has also been closed until 1 pm today.

State Airports Administration Director General Hüseyin Keskin has shared the news with the public. "Due to continuing bad weather conditions, there will be no aircraft landing and take-off on the runways of İstanbul Airport, and the closure has been extended until 1 p.m. on January 25," the head of Turkey's State Airports Authority, Hüseyin Keskin, has said on Twitter.

Public personnel on administrative leave

In a statement on social media, İstanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya has announced that public servants, workers and personnel, except for security, healthcare and transportation workers, will be on administrative leave today. In the event that the adverse weather conditions continue, private vehicles will not be on the traffic until 1 pm, he has stated further.

İstanbul Bar Chair lawyer Mehmet Durakoğlu has announced that the hearings to be held in İstanbul on January 25 have been postponed.

In İstanbul's neighboring province of Yalova, all public personnel, except for the ones working in the fields of security, healthcare, transport and burial, will be on administrative leave today due to heavy snow.

People stranded, routes to İstanbul closed

According to İstanbul Governor Yerlikaya's statement, there are citizens stranded in the roads between North Marmara Highway Odayeri - Yassıören and Airport linking road, in Hadımköy - Avcılar, İkitelli Mahmutbey, Selimpaşa - Kumburgaz and Hadımköy in TEM Highway.

As reported by Anadolu Agency (AA), after landing in the city early in the morning yesterday, heavy snowfall caused traffic jams in Zeytinburnu, Bahçelievler, Sarıyer and Kağıthane on the European side. Some passengers and vehicles were stuck due to snow. In Pendik on the city's Asian side, a fire truck trying to rescue a vehicle got stuck on the road itself.

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said in a statement that 1,300 homeless people had been given shelter from the frigid weather in various buildings and hotels. Every day the municipality is also distributing more than two tons of food at 500 locations for stray animals.

İstanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said that due to heavy snowfall, routes from northwestern Turkey to İstanbul are closed until further notice. He also announced that shopping malls in the city would close at 7:30 p.m.

All vehicles heading for İstanbul from Anatolia have reportedly not been allowed to drive any further than Sakarya.

According to Yerlikaya's statement, all departures from the intercity bus terminals of the city have also been restricted until 1 pm today.

85 centimeters of snow

Following the works at the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM), Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has made a statement there, defining the snow as "disastrous snowfall".

İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor İmamoğlu has noted that in some parts of the city, snow is as high as a meter. In the rural parts of the city in Arnavutköy, Başakşehir and Sultangazi, there is 80-85 centimeters of snow, according to the mayor. It drops to 50-60 centimeters in the southern districts and not lower than 35-40-50 centimeters in the city center. 

(AEK/TP/AÖ/SD)