Snowstorm strands thousands in Istanbul, Athens
By MEHMET GUZEL and ELENA BECATOROS5
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Snowstorm brings much of Turkey and Greece to a haltBy MEHMET GUZEL and ELENA BECATOROS5
1 of 11
Abandoned vehicles are seen in an motorway way after a snowstorm, in Athens, on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. Army and fire service teams were deployed late Monday to extract hundreds of motorists trapped for hours in snowed-in cars. A snowstorm of rare severity disrupted road and air traffic Monday in the Greek capital of Athens and neighboring Turkey's largest city of Istanbul, while most of Greece, including — unusually — several Aegean islands, and much of Turkey were blanketed by snow.
(AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)
ISTANBUL (AP) — Rescue crews in Istanbul and Athens scrambled on Tuesday to clear roads that came to a standstill after a massive cold front and snowstorms hit much of Turkey and Greece, leaving countless people and vehicles in both cities stranded overnight in freezing conditions.
Highways and roads in and around Istanbul became clogged on Monday after the storm pounded the city of about 16 million people that straddles the European and Asian continents — accumulating more than 80 centimeters (31 inches) of snow in some areas.
Stranded motorists either spent the night in cars, abandoned their vehicles to walk home or crowded subways and other public transportation.
Rescue teams worked overnight to clear snowy roads and highways, but abandoned vehicles hampered their operations. Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya urged motorists to return to their vehicles and move them.
In Athens, rescue crews were still trying to free around 200-300 drivers trapped on a major highway that runs across Athens and connects the Greek capital with the city’s international airport.
Some drivers similarly abandoned their cars and walked home. Others trekked to a nearby train station, jumping over the barriers at the side of the road to reach the platform after spending the night in their cars. The train service had been suspended, but a train was there Tuesday morning to pick up those who had made it to the station from the highway.
The army was sent out overnight to deliver food and water to those trapped and to help free as many as possible.
Istanbul’s Disaster Coordination Center, or AKOM, says an Icelandic low-pressure system is behind the cold front and precipitation affecting most of the country.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the snowfall in and around Istanbul would continue until Thursday and urged people not to venture out in private cars unless necessary. He said many of the stranded vehicles weren’t fitted with snow tires.
Authorities suspended flights at Istanbul Airport — where the roof of a cargo facility collapsed from the weight of the snow on Monday — over safety concerns. But Adil Karaismailoglu, the transport minister, said limited flights would resume soon. Istanbul’s second airport, Sabiha Gokcen, was also operating limited services.
“Nothing is moving. The snow ploughs can’t even reach us,” Ahmet Odabasi, 40, one of thousands of travelers stranded overnight on a highway west of Istanbul, told The Associated Press by telephone.
“I have been stuck here for 12 hours now. I am lucky that I have gas, food and water,” said the motorist, who was driving to Istanbul from the city of Edirne, near the border with Greece.
Authorities in Greece had warned people to limit their movements to the essential only and to use snow chains on city streets, but many people had set out for work in the morning when the snowfall was much lighter and became trapped in their cars as the day wore on. Some of the problems were reportedly caused by trucks that slipped and jack-knifed across the road, blocking traffic.
Authorities and the highway management were coming under intense criticism for allowing a situation whereby drivers were stuck for so long.
The snowstorm, complete with thunder and lightning, hit the wider Athens area late in the morning Monday, dumping large amounts of snow on the city. It is the second year in a row that Greece has experienced a freak snowstorm. Last year, similar weather in February left tens of thousands of trees felled by the weight of the snow on city streets, parks and woodland around Athens.
Officials said the Greek prime minister contacted the highway’s administration and asked for each trapped driver to receive 2,000 euros ($2,265) in compensation, which the highway administration accepted.
The severe weather also brought rare snowfall to vacation resorts in Turkey’s southwest region, including Bodrum and Datca, with snow and slippery conditions blocking a highway linking the provinces of Mugla and Denizli. Antalya city center, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, saw its first snowfall in 29 years, the private NTV television reported.
In Istanbul, AKOM manager Selcuk Tutuncu told the AP that 40,000 tons of salt have been used since the beginning of the storm to clear roads.
“Right now there are over 1,500 vehicles and over 7,000 personnel working out in the field nonstop,” Tutuncu said.
On Monday, authorities in Istanbul suspended intercity bus services and blocked travel to the city from Turkey’s northwestern Thrace region. Civil servants were allowed to stay at home Tuesday, except for those employed in security, health and transportation sectors. Schools across Turkey were already closed for a winter break.
Imamoglu said the Istanbul municipality has provided shelter to around 1,500 homeless people. Teams have left some two tons of food for stray cats and dogs, Imamoglu said.
The mayor said he hoped the snow would fill dams and bring relief to the region, which has been suffering from a dry spell.
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Elena Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Suzan Fraser contributed from Ankara.
ISTANBUL (AP) — Rescue crews in Istanbul and Athens scrambled on Tuesday to clear roads that came to a standstill after a massive cold front and snowstorms hit much of Turkey and Greece, leaving countless people and vehicles in both cities stranded overnight in freezing conditions.
Highways and roads in and around Istanbul became clogged on Monday after the storm pounded the city of about 16 million people that straddles the European and Asian continents — accumulating more than 80 centimeters (31 inches) of snow in some areas.
Stranded motorists either spent the night in cars, abandoned their vehicles to walk home or crowded subways and other public transportation.
Rescue teams worked overnight to clear snowy roads and highways, but abandoned vehicles hampered their operations. Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya urged motorists to return to their vehicles and move them.
In Athens, rescue crews were still trying to free around 200-300 drivers trapped on a major highway that runs across Athens and connects the Greek capital with the city’s international airport.
Some drivers similarly abandoned their cars and walked home. Others trekked to a nearby train station, jumping over the barriers at the side of the road to reach the platform after spending the night in their cars. The train service had been suspended, but a train was there Tuesday morning to pick up those who had made it to the station from the highway.
The army was sent out overnight to deliver food and water to those trapped and to help free as many as possible.
Istanbul’s Disaster Coordination Center, or AKOM, says an Icelandic low-pressure system is behind the cold front and precipitation affecting most of the country.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the snowfall in and around Istanbul would continue until Thursday and urged people not to venture out in private cars unless necessary. He said many of the stranded vehicles weren’t fitted with snow tires.
Authorities suspended flights at Istanbul Airport — where the roof of a cargo facility collapsed from the weight of the snow on Monday — over safety concerns. But Adil Karaismailoglu, the transport minister, said limited flights would resume soon. Istanbul’s second airport, Sabiha Gokcen, was also operating limited services.
“Nothing is moving. The snow ploughs can’t even reach us,” Ahmet Odabasi, 40, one of thousands of travelers stranded overnight on a highway west of Istanbul, told The Associated Press by telephone.
“I have been stuck here for 12 hours now. I am lucky that I have gas, food and water,” said the motorist, who was driving to Istanbul from the city of Edirne, near the border with Greece.
Authorities in Greece had warned people to limit their movements to the essential only and to use snow chains on city streets, but many people had set out for work in the morning when the snowfall was much lighter and became trapped in their cars as the day wore on. Some of the problems were reportedly caused by trucks that slipped and jack-knifed across the road, blocking traffic.
Authorities and the highway management were coming under intense criticism for allowing a situation whereby drivers were stuck for so long.
The snowstorm, complete with thunder and lightning, hit the wider Athens area late in the morning Monday, dumping large amounts of snow on the city. It is the second year in a row that Greece has experienced a freak snowstorm. Last year, similar weather in February left tens of thousands of trees felled by the weight of the snow on city streets, parks and woodland around Athens.
Officials said the Greek prime minister contacted the highway’s administration and asked for each trapped driver to receive 2,000 euros ($2,265) in compensation, which the highway administration accepted.
The severe weather also brought rare snowfall to vacation resorts in Turkey’s southwest region, including Bodrum and Datca, with snow and slippery conditions blocking a highway linking the provinces of Mugla and Denizli. Antalya city center, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, saw its first snowfall in 29 years, the private NTV television reported.
In Istanbul, AKOM manager Selcuk Tutuncu told the AP that 40,000 tons of salt have been used since the beginning of the storm to clear roads.
“Right now there are over 1,500 vehicles and over 7,000 personnel working out in the field nonstop,” Tutuncu said.
On Monday, authorities in Istanbul suspended intercity bus services and blocked travel to the city from Turkey’s northwestern Thrace region. Civil servants were allowed to stay at home Tuesday, except for those employed in security, health and transportation sectors. Schools across Turkey were already closed for a winter break.
Imamoglu said the Istanbul municipality has provided shelter to around 1,500 homeless people. Teams have left some two tons of food for stray cats and dogs, Imamoglu said.
The mayor said he hoped the snow would fill dams and bring relief to the region, which has been suffering from a dry spell.
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Elena Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Suzan Fraser contributed from Ankara.
The extreme weather caused major disruption to the Greek captial Athens, and forced the closure of Istanbul airport. It is the second year in a row of unusually heavy snowfall.
Most institutions were able to stay open in Istanbul despite the heavy snow
Large parts of Greece and Turkey were covered in a blanket of snow Monday.
It is an unusual occurrence for the southern Mediterranean countries, but the second time that it has happened in two years.
The rare snowstorm — called "Elpida" or "Hope" in Greek — brought the Greek capital Athens to a standstill.
Overnight temperatures fell to -14 degrees Celsius (6.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Schools and vaccination centers were forced to close.
Snow also brought down the roof of one of the buildings at Istanbul's major air traffic hub, grounding flights to and from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Snow is usually limited to the northern mountainous regions of Greece, on rarely falling with such intensity in Athens
Greeks told to stay home
The Greek government declared a holiday for parts of the country, including the capital, to keep people from going outside.
"We ask citizens to avoid leaving their homes. It will be a difficult night," Climate Change and Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianides said.
"The height of the snow is unprecedented in some areas," he added.
Hundreds of drivers in the city were stuck in their cars for hours with rescue workers braving the cold to free the stranded motorists.
Some motorists in Athens were stuck in their cars for up to five hours
A snowstorm in February last year left four people dead across Greece as well as cutting power for thousands of residents for several days.
Kostas Lagouvardos, research director at the National Observatory of Athens, told ANT1 TV that the capital had not seen back-to-back winters like this since 1968.
Snow fell on several Aegean islands, including on the beaches of popular tourist spot Mykonos.
Extreme weather in the southern Mediterranean
Neighboring Albania also closed all elementary and high schools for three days due to the freezing temperatures.
Snow fell across Turkey before reaching the northern region of Syria, home to thousands of refugees in makeshift camps, unprepared for the levels of cold the storm brought.
Snow flurries are expected to continue in Greece and Turkey for several days.
A session at the Greek parliament in Athens had to be suspended due to the storm
Greece also suffered deadly and destructive wildfires last summer that lasted for days. These were put down to the effects of climate change that increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather.
ab/rt (AFP, AP)
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