Thousands of citizens left in dark for days after power cut in central Turkey

Duvar English

Thousands of citizens have been left in the dark for four days in the central Turkish province of Isparta after heavy snow caused disruptions to the electricity grid.

Authorities have not been able to restore the energy for days, with Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez asking for people's “forgiveness.” Dönmez tried to downgrade the importance of the issue, telling citizens in Isparta on Feb. 6: “We thank for your understanding and patience; forgive us, you have been left without energy for a couple of days.”

He said that the teams were continuing work on power transmission lines and 20,000 households were still waiting to be given electricity.

"Heavy snow and a blizzard caused serious damage to energy infrastructure... initially 113,236 users were left without electricity in the province...units are working in the field to restore energy to the remaining 20,000 users," Dönmez said.

The authorities decided to ban the use of motorbikes and electric scooters since Feb. 3 and pause face-to-face education in schools for five days in the city of 450,000 people as of Feb. 7, according to a statement on the governor's office website.

70-year-old found frozen to death in his home

Meanwhile, a 70-year-old man named Ramazan Nazlı was found dead in his home in Isparta on Feb. 6. Nazlı's body was taken to the morgue for an autopsy, but several reports said that he had lost his life due to the freezing cold.

Nazlı's body was found after neighbors could not see him for a couple of days and notified the police. The man had been living by himself in the countryside.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has temporarily dismissed Isparta Governor Ömer Seymenoğlu from duty on the grounds that he has been diagnosed with the COVID-19, according to reporting by online news outlet T24. 

The central governor Osman Kaymak will be filling in his place.