Snow and blizzards bring transportation to a standstill: Roads to 630 settlements closed in 4 provinces

Due to adverse weather conditions affecting Eastern Anatolia, many village and hamlet roads in Van, Hakkari, Bitlis, and Muş have been closed to traffic. Teams in the region are working around the clock to clear the blocked roads.

VAN

In Van, roads to 217 settlements have been closed due to heavy snowfall. Teams from the Van Metropolitan Municipality Department of Road Construction, Maintenance, and Repair have launched field operations to reopen the closed roads. In the districts, municipal teams are continuing snow removal efforts on streets, avenues, and sidewalks, while citizens are clearing snow accumulated in front of their homes and workplaces.

HAKKARİ

In Hakkari, snow depth in the city center has exceeded 1 meter following the intensification of snowfall in recent days. Following the precipitation, citizens in the city center and districts have begun clearing snow accumulated on the roofs of their homes and workplaces. According to Provincial Special Administration data, 185 of the 357 settlements previously closed to traffic due to heavy snow have been reopened through the efforts of the teams. Snow-clearing teams are continuing their work to open the 172 village and hamlet roads that remain closed.

Meanwhile, municipal teams are continuing snow removal on city center and neighborhood roads. While teams from the 114th Branch Chief of Highways are working on the Hakkari-Çukurca highway, which was closed due to avalanche risk, road widening work is also being carried out near the Arslankaya Tunnel on the Hakkari-Van highway.

BİTLİS

In Bitlis, transportation to 171 settlements in the city center and districts is currently impossible due to heavy snow and blizzards. As cold weather continues to affect the city, Provincial Special Administration teams are working non-stop to widen roads, while municipal teams are clearing snow from streets and avenues.

In the village of Çeltikli, where the road was closed due to snow, a female heart patient who fell ill was reached by teams and transported to medical personnel for treatment. In the Tatvan district, the roof of a workplace used as a warehouse collapsed following the snowfall. A citizen trapped inside was rescued without injury. Snow-clearing efforts are ongoing across the province to prevent disruptions in transportation.

MUŞ

Adverse weather conditions also continue to affect Muş. Provincial Special Administration Secretary General Şeyhmus Yentür announced that transportation to 70 settlements across the province is currently impossible due to heavy snowfall. Stating that teams are working intensively in the field to open the closed roads, Yentür expressed that the goal is to reopen the roads to traffic in a short time. While municipal teams in the city are continuing snow removal work on streets and sidewalks, citizens have also begun clearing the snow accumulated in front of their homes and workplaces.