Heavy snow shuts schools, highways across Turkey

By Hamdi Celikbas, Murat Paksoy and Ilkay Guder

ANKARA (AA) - Heavy snowfall and cold weather across Turkey led to the closure of schools on Wednesday.

Authorities in 24 provinces, mostly in central Turkey but also in northern Anatolia, said schools had been closed for the day.

Schools are closed in capital Ankara due to overnight heavy snowfall.

Ankara University, Gazi University, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Health Sciences University, Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University, Lokman Hekim University, and Hacettepe University canceled classes for the day.

Heavy snowfall also hit Turkey's biggest city Istanbul. Snowfall started in the Asian side of the city early morning on Tuesday and covered the whole city by Wednesday.

The Uskudar, Umraniye, Beykoz, Maltepe, Kartal, Zeytinburnu, Gaziosmanpasa, Eyup and Bahcelievler districts of Istanbul are affected by the heavy snow.

Other cities affected by heavy snowfall are Sivas, Bilecik, Kutahya, Bolu, Cankiri, Usak, Eskisehir, Samsun, Denizli, Afyonkarahisar, Kirsehir, Konya, Corum, Kastamonu, Kirikkale, Amasya, Yozgat, Aksaray, Nevsehir, Tokat, Ordu, and Karaman.