Record snowfall traps İstanbul with more flights and ferries cancelled

Turkish Airlines cancelled all domestic flights in and out of Istanbul Atatürk International Airport on Thursday morning, due to heavy snowfall.

The heavy snowfall began on Tuesday, continued into Wednesday and caught over 14 million Istanbulites off guard.

Turkey's largest city İstanbul was hit by a storm that has dumped up enormous amounts of snow in some areas, wreaking havoc on roads. The depth of the snow reached its deepest on İstanbul's European side neighborhood of Çatalca at 70 centimeters.

Turkey's national carrier, the Turkish Airlines (THY), canceled its some flights on Thursday, both domestic and international, due to the two-day snowstorm. A list of canceled flights is available on the THY website. İstanbul authorities also closed some ferry lines on Thursday.

The two-day snowfall caused hundreds of vehicle accidents across İstanbul with visibility dipping to around five meters. Over 800 traffic accidents were reported on Tuesday and Wednesday, stemming from icy roads and motorists who neglected to equip their vehicles with winter tires or tire chains.