Flights gradually resume at Istanbul Airport

Authorities cleared a runway at Istanbul Airport on Jan. 25, allowing limited flights to resume. Flights were suspended on Monday for safety reasons at the airport. Istanbul's second airport, Sabiha Gökcen, was also operating limited services.

Rescue crews in Istanbul dug through snow and ice on Jan. 25 to clear paralyzed roads and rescue people stranded overnight in their cars after snowstorms and a massive cold front brought much of Turkey to a landstill. 

Highways and roads in Istanbul became clogged Monday after the storm pounded the city of 16 million that straddles Europe and Asia, dropping more than 80 centimeters (31 inches) of snow in some areas. Stranded motorists spent the night in their cars, abandoned their vehicles to walk home or crowded subways and other limited public transportation.
All highways and main roads in Istanbul were reopened by Tuesday afternoon, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu announced on Twitter, while Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said restrictions on vehicles traveling into Istanbul were lifted.
In Turkey, authorities recovered the body of a 34-year-old who is believed to have died in heavy snowfall while trying to reach his village in Amasya province, 326 kilometers (202 miles) northwest of Ankara, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the snowfall 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 did not have snow tires.

The severe weather also brought rare snowfall to vacation resorts in Turkey's southwest region, including Bodrum and Datça, with snow and slippery conditions blocking a highway linking the...