Avalanche at Macahel Pass: Maintenance facility destroyed, heavy machinery buried under snow

A maintenance facility belonging to the General Directorate of Highways, located on the Macahel road in the Borçka district of Artvin, sustained heavy damage as a result of an avalanche. The facility was rendered unusable by the impact of the avalanche, and two snow-clearing vehicles were left buried under the snow.

With snow depth exceeding 3 meters at the 1,850-meter-high Macahel Pass, the risk of avalanches increased, and operations were halted for safety reasons. According to information obtained, the Highway Maintenance Facility was located near the summit. The avalanche, which broke off from the slope, demolished the building's walls and completely filled the generator room, bedroom, and repair-maintenance area with snow. The fact that no one was in the building at the time of the incident prevented a potential tragedy. However, a snow blower and a piece of heavy machinery that were on standby for snow-clearing operations remained buried under meters of snow.

Osman Önder, a member of the local community and the team responsible for the transport on the Macahel road, stated that operations were temporarily suspended due to the avalanche danger. Damage assessment work has not yet begun due to the ongoing heavy snowfall. Authorities announced that inspections will be carried out once weather conditions improve.