Heavy snowfall paralyses life in Istanbul, Bosphorus traffic halted
Heavy snowfall affecting Turkey has paralyzed life in Istanbul, leading to the closure of schools for at least two days. Due to dense fog, ship traffic in the Bosphorus was also halted.
Duvar English
Heavy snowfall across Turkey brought life in Istanbul to a standstill starting on Feb. 20 as well.
The governor’s office announced that the school holiday declared initially for Feb. 20 would be extended to Feb. 21.
Veterans, disabled individuals, pregnant women, and female staff with children under the age of eight working in public institutions will be considered on leave as well.
In the megacity, transportation disruptions and heavy traffic were experienced, while public transportation faced overcrowding.
The Istanbul Governor also announced that, starting from Feb. 21, motorcycles and motorcycle couriers would be banned from entering traffic until further notice.
The Transport and Infrastructure Ministry in late Feb. 20 stated that ship traffic in the Bosphorus was temporarily suspended in both directions due to the fog.
Many ferry services to Gökçeada and Bozcaada, as well as those operated by Istanbul Sea Buses and Bursa Sea Buses, have been canceled.
At Istanbul and Sabiha Gökçen airports, it was announced that flights would be reduced by 10 to 30 percent due to the severe weather conditions.