Heavy snowfall, wind disrupt life in Istanbul

ISTANBUL (AA) - Extreme winter conditions continue to take a toll on daily life in Istanbul Monday, resulting in the cancelation of flights, disruption of transport and shutdown of schools.

As Istanbul governor's office announced on its website, due to snowfall, the shifts in public institutions will end at 3.30 p.m [12.30 GMT] on Monday to reduce traffic volume in the city.

In the written statement made by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, the ship traffic in Istanbul's Bosphorus have been halted because of limited visibility.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) also announced on its website that all domestic ferry services have been suspended until further notice.

Meanwhile, ferry services between Istanbul and northwestern cities of Bursa, Yalova, Balikesir were also stopped until at 12:00am local time on Tuesday, the operator IDO announced on its website.

Turkish Airlines also released a statement on its website that 281 domestic and international flights have been canceled on Monday while privately run Pegasus Airlines cancelled 78 flights.

Turkey's General Directorate of Meteorology stated that snowfall, which is still continuing across Istanbul, will increase its effect from noon until night Monday, while the snow depths were measured between 10 and 122 centimetres in the city.

Schools in Istanbul were shut on Monday while some universities postponed their examinations. The governor's office has yet to announce whether schools remain closed also on Tuesday.

The main roads remain open in Istanbul while many streets are still blocked due to snow, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas told reporters at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's Disaster Coordination Center.

Since the beginning of snowfall Friday, the IMM teams have been working with 7,000 personnel in three shifts with 1,347 vehicles, as 834 homeless are being hosted in Zeytinburnu Sports Complex, Topbas said.