Intense snowfall in Istanbul blocks airports, roads and leaves hundreds stranded

First modification: 01/25/2022 – 15:02

Turkey is going through a new day of uncertainty this January 25 due to the intense and constant snowfall that has been falling for a few days and, according to weather forecast specialists, it will continue until at least Thursday.

After last Monday the roads became crowded, there were traffic accidents and the airports had to postpone flights, this Tuesday the Istanbul authorities decided to intensify the work to clear the roads that were rendered useless by the snow and that left dozens of people stranded and abandoned cars.

The depth of the snow in some areas reached approximately 80 centimeters, making it impossible for motorists to move towards their homes. Some decided to leave their vehicles there and use public transport, causing the saturation of services. Others preferred to walk or directly spend the night in their cars.

Rescue teams were active throughout the night to reverse the situation, but the number of abandoned cars was an obstacle to completing the task. The governor of the Turkish capital, Ali Yerlikaya, asked the owners to go back and remove them.

As explained by the Istanbul Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM), the adverse weather is generated by a cold front caused by an Icelandic low pressure system. Both low temperatures, sleet and precipitation will continue until near the weekend.

Suleyman Soylu – Minister of the Interior – requested that, until this phenomenon ends, people do not use their private cars if it is not strictly necessary. In addition, he explained that most of those who were stranded on the roads did not have the necessary equipment to travel in the snow.

For security reasons, authorities halted services at Istanbul’s main airport, where a roof collapsed from snowpack. Transport Minister Adil Karaismaloglu clarified that the limited flights would be resumed shortly. Same situation for the Sabiha Gokcen aerodrome, which also operates with reduced performance.

Selcuk Tutuncu, manager of AKOM, said that 40,000 tons of salt have already been used to clear roads since the start of the storm. “Right now there are more than 1,500 vehicles and more than 7,000 people working non-stop in the fields,” added Tutuncu.

In addition to Istanbul, other regions affected by the snowfall are Bodrum and Datca, two tourist centers in the southwest of the country. While Antalya, on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, had snow for the first time in 29 years.

Athens was also affected by snowfall

The most important city in Greece was another place where inclement weather made it difficult for citizens to move around. After a complicated night where hundreds of people were trapped in their vehicles, this Tuesday the rescuers tried to clear the civilians who remained stranded on the highway that connects the city with the airport.

As in Turkey, some drivers abandoned their cars and headed for the train stations. However, services had been suspended and they had to spend the night at the station until the early hours of Tuesday, where a special train was sent to specifically pick up these people.

For their part, members of the Army mobilized to deliver food and water to those trapped on the road and tried to free some others to open the roads. According to the authorities, some people left in their cars when the intensity of the snowfall was low, but when they returned to their homes they were already trapped; on the other hand, there were trucks that slipped and ended up on the opposite side of the roads, which caused a traffic blockage.

It is the second year in a row that the Greek capital has suffered snowstorms. In 2021, a similar situation resulted in thousands of fallen trees in Athenian streets, parks and forests.

with AP