Schools shut across Türkiye as fierce winter storm topples transport

ISTANBUL

Severe winter weather sweeping across Türkiye has forced authorities to suspend education in dozens of provinces and districts on Dec. 29, as heavy snowfall, icy roads and plunging temperatures disrupted transportation and daily life across the country.

In response to the severe winter conditions, authorities suspended education across a wide geographical range encompassing 25 provinces, including the Black Sea hubs of Zonguldak and Karabük, the eastern cities of Van and Muş, the southeastern province of Mardin and the northern city of Bolu.

In some areas, public employees who are pregnant, disabled or caring for young children were also placed on administrative leave.

Several other provinces, including the southern city of Gaziantep and the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, implemented district-level closures or suspended only transported education.

This brutal winter onslaught affected the nation's transportation networks.

At Bolu Mountain, one of the country’s key transit routes between Istanbul and Ankara, snowfall exceeding 40 centimeters led authorities to ban heavy trucks and lorries from a major highway.

A truck slid off the road near toll booths, though no injuries were reported.

Traffic police redirected heavy vehicles to alternative routes as crews continued snow removal and salting operations.

In the Thracian city of Edirne, icy roads caused multiple traffic accidents involving five vehicles, highlighting the risks posed by overnight freezing temperatures even in areas without heavy snowfall.

In the eastern province of Ağrı, emergency crews and heavy machinery operators engaged in a high-stakes rescue operation to reach stranded patients in the snow-blocked villages.

In Muş, local livestock breeders began the grueling task of feeding their herds on frozen ground as snow depths exceeded 20 centimeters, though many farmers noted that the delayed arrival of winter helped preserve their essential fodder stocks.

Meteorologists warn that the worst may not be over.

High-altitude regions in the southeast remain under strict avalanche watches, while the Western Black Sea region prepares for another 20 centimeters of accumulation.

Even as the country battles the current freeze, there is a somber reminder of the region's historical relationship with brutal winters.

Amidst the current freeze, the eastern province of Kars is preparing for its annual tribute to history, as artisans shape massive snow monuments to commemorate the Ottoman soldiers who perished during the 1914–1915 Sarıkamış Campaign.

These memorial events, held every year in early January, take place amidst the region's characteristically severe winter weather.