Istanbul, Jan 7, 2017 (AFP) —
A heavy snowstorm brought Istanbul to a standstill on Saturday, with hundreds of flights cancelled and the Bosphorus closed to shipping traffic.
The snowstorm dumped almost 40 centimetres of snow in parts of the Turkish metropolis overnight, causing havoc on roads as travellers sought to leave the city for the weekend getaway. The hazardous roads left many stranded overnight. Some spent ten hours or more in their vehicles waiting for conditions to improve but many drivers abandoned their vehicles and set off on foot. The municipal authorities reported dozens of accidents by vehicles sliding on icy surfaces and the underground train system operated through the night for passengers unable to get home
Turkish Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights in and out of the city's main Ataturk airport and dozens of planes were diverted to other airports because of the heavy snowfall, which began on Friday evening.
About 6,000 of its passengers had to be accommodated in hotels due to the cancellations and 20,000 meals were distributed to those stranded at the airport.
Pegasus Airlines cancelled some 200 flights in and out of Sabiha Gokcen airport, on the Asian side of the city.
The Bosphorus strait, which runs through Istanbul, and the Dardanelles strait further south were closed to transit shipping due to poor visibility on Saturday morning.
The straits are one of the world's busiest channels for the maritime transit of oil, carrying more than three per cent of global supply, mainly from Russia and the Caspian Sea.
The waterways, connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, also carry large quantities of grain from Russia and Kazakhstan to world markets.
The municipal ferry company Sehir Hatlari which handles the regular passenger crossings between the European and Asian sides of the city announced that all its routes had been suspended for the day.
For those not travelling, the snow provided a rare chance to see Istanbul's famous minaret and dome-studded skyline caked in a white layer of snow.
Forecasters predicted that the snowstorm would continue throughout the day before dwindling in the evening. Temperatures well below freezing are expected in the days to come.
* Agence France Presse
* Reuters
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