Snowstorms pummel Turkey, colder weather on the way

Hurriyet.com.tr

DHA photo

Powerful snowstorms affected most of Turkey yesterday afternoon, causing avalanches and fatal accidents on highways in Anatolia as well as grounding a ship in Istanbul.
 
Yaşar Demir was killed and more than 30 passengers were injured when a bus skidded off the road and rolled over on its side near the Emirdağ district of the province of Afyonkarahisar in central Anatolia. The injured were taken to hospitals in Emirdağ, Gömü and İncehisar districts. 
 
Avalanches occurred in four separate locations on the road between Tunceli and Erzincan provinces in eastern Turkey today. One truck and one minibus were partially covered by an avalanche while a bus and numerous automobiles and trucks were reportedly stranded on the road.  

The Moldavian cargo ship Rona was grounded on Istanbul's Black Sea coast due to storms at sea. The ship had nine crew members on board and was sailing to the Bulgarian port of Varna to pick up cargo. 
 
Istanbul's Şile district on the Black Sea coast took the largest amount of snowfall in the city, with blizzards dumping 15 cm of snow overnight. Şile residents who worked in central Istanbul had difficulty going to their jobs as the roads were closed. Many left their vehicles on the road and walked to their destinations. 
 
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Governor's Office urged drivers not to take their cars and use public transportation instead. 
 
Cold weather from Siberia
 
The meteorology office warned of a second, cooler wave of snow-producing weather system coming to Turkey from Siberia. The system was expected to take effect Jan. 30 and remain in Turkey until Feb. 7.