Turkey welcomes New Year with snowfall

ISTANBUL

AA Photo

Western and central Turkish provinces welcomed a heavy snowfall on Dec. 30, which has affected transportation on main roads as well as air traffic.

Turkey’s meteorology institute has warned citizens about possible problems resulting from the snowy weather that has hit many provinces, including Istanbul, Tekirdağ, Bolu, Bursa, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Kastamonu, İzmir and Eskişehir.

Roads leading to several villages were closed, while students in some cities were given a day off due to snowfall.

The Istanbul Municipality has also transported 392 homeless people to a sports facility in the Zeytinburnu district to protect them from the snow and cold weather.

Turkish Airlines canceled its flights from Istanbul and Ankara to Gaziantep due to the bad weather conditions on Dec. 30.

Meanwhile, Jan. 2 has been declared an official holiday for public workers, increasing their long weekend to four days.

The Istanbul Governor’s office has also released a statement, saying that security measures will be increased at specific locations on Dec. 31, such as shopping malls, transportation centers and squares where celebration events will be held.