Flights, ferries canceled due to storm in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

AA Photo

Strong winds and rain hit the Marmara region of Turkey on Dec. 29, causing the cancelation of some Turkish Airlines flights and several ferry crossings in Istanbul.

Turkey’s meteorology institute has warned citizens of the storm that has been affecting the Marmara, Black Sea, Mediterranean and Central Anatolia regions.

Istanbul Seabuses and Fast Ferries (İDO) has announced that it canceled a total of 12 inter and inner-city ferry lines in the morning of Dec. 29 due to bad weather conditions caused by the Lodos, a wind that comes from the southwest. Bursa Municipality’s Seabuses (BUDO) also canceled its lines between Istanbul and Bursa.

One woman was also reportedly injured when metal handrails on an overpass were blown over, crashing down onto the car she was driving in Kadıköy's Söğütlüçeşme neighborhood.

A cargo ship has run aground off Pendik, an eastern district of Istanbul.

A 10-meter-long tree fell on the coastal road near Bakırköy, causing damage to a service bus that was passing by.

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines canceled its flights between Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport and Ankara, Antalya, Budapest, Zagreb and Tel Aviv due to the heavy wind in Istanbul.
 
The Dardanelles Strait has been closed to tankers, while ferries were canceled between Gelibolu and Lapseki, as well as to the Geyikli-Bozcaada and Kabatepe-Gökçeada crossings.
 
Five northbound and three southbound tankers waiting to pass through the Dardanelles were expected to be scheduled to do so on Dec. 30, shipping agency GAC said. The Bosphorus Strait remained open.

Snow is expected to hit the Marmara region with up to a 14 Celsius degree fall in temperatures on Dec. 30.