Heavy snow shuts schools, highways across Turkey

ISTANBUL (AA) - Heavy snowfall and cold weather across Turkey caused the closure of schools, reduced services, and some casualties Thursday, officials said.

Authorities in 21 provinces, mostly in central Turkey but also in northern Anatolia, said schools had been closed for the day.

Governors in nine provinces including the capital Ankara, which saw heavy snowfall, announced administrative leave for pregnant and handicapped staff on Thursday.

Officials from Turkey's Highways Directorate told Anadolu Agency that the Ankara-Afyonkarahisar road was closed due to heavy snow. Intercity buses heading to Ankara were waiting in terminals, unable to go onto the road.

Teams also worked to help vehicles stuck along the Antalya-Konya highway, after heavy snow caused its closure.

Meanwhile, at least three people were killed and 25 wounded in a bus accident in the northern Sinop province due to bad weather, officials said.

In Eskisehir's Beylikova district, Alparslan Demir, a 31-year-old shepherd, was rescued in six-hour operation after he got stuck in the snow.

Ferry service between Istanbul and northwestern Bursa, Yalova, Balikesir was limited due to strong winds, the operator IDO announced on its website.

Turkish Airlines also announced that 38 domestic and international flights had been canceled on Thursday, and 26 flights on Friday.

At -18 Celsius, temperatures in northeast Turkey’s Ardahan province were the coldest in the nation, according to meteorology officials.