Heavy snowfall causes major nuisance in Turkey | Abroad

Istanbul Airport, one of the busiest airports in Europe, has been closed since Monday. A limited number of planes can now land. According to a spokesman, there are no plans to let the planes depart on Tuesday. Two small airports in Istanbul were less affected.

collapsed roof

The roof of one of the cargo terminals near the airport collapsed under the weight of snow on Monday. The airport is one of the busiest in Europe and an important link in air traffic between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Stuck in the car

The governor of the city of 16 million people had called on citizens not to use the roads. Local media report that several people in Istanbul were forced to spend the night in their cars. Humanitarian organizations distributed food. Staff at public institutions were given a day off on Tuesday, so fewer people would have to hit the road.

It started snowing in Turkey last week and heavy snow is expected to fall in Istanbul and the rest of the country on Tuesday as well. Snow has fallen for the first time in 29 years on the beaches of the resort town of Antalya in southern Turkey.