Winter blast causes accidents, closes schools, cancels flights across Turkey

ISTANBUL

A photograph showing young students in Ankara pushing a broken down school bus on a slope went viral on social media.

A long-awaited cold snap finally hit Turkey on Jan. 6, with snow disrupting transportation in many cities.

One primary school student was killed after a school bus crashed in the western Black Sea province of Karabük. İlker Karakırık, 9, died despite medical intervention after being rushed to hospital. Eighteen other students as well as the driver were injured in the accident.

Snow also caused the habitual scenes of chaos in the Turkish capital of Ankara, with its many hills and poor infrastructure. A photograph showing young students pushing a school bus that broke down on a slope went viral on social media.

Families expressed their outrage that the Ankara Governor’s Office did not close schools in the city center, declaring snow days instead in only six districts.

The road connecting Ankara to İzmir was also temporarily closed in the early hours of Jan. 6 due to intense snowfall.

Turkish Airlines has canceled many domestic flights, including several flights between Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir.

Istanbul and Bursa Sea Buses also canceled ferry services due to unfavorable conditions on the Marmara Sea.

Snowfall also intensified in Istanbul at around noon, with meteorologists saying the snow would continue throughout the day and warning about strong winds from the northeast.

Experts also warned that a cold spell from the Balkans would also bring freezing temperatures that could approach minus 20 degrees Celsius.