Severe snowfall in Van, located in eastern Türkiye, has significantly disrupted daily life, leading to the closure of roads across 493 settlements and the suspension of education in the Bahçesaray district.

According to the Meteorology 14th Regional Directorate, the snowfall is expected to continue in central Van until noon, with warnings issued for citizens to beware of fog, haze, icing, and frost during the morning and night hours.

The heavy snowfall has resulted in the closure of 237 village roads and 256 hamlet roads across the province, impacting transportation in various districts, including İpekyolu, Edremit, Başkale, Çatak, Erciş, Gevaş, Gürpınar, Muradiye, Özalp, Saray, Tuşba, and Bahçesaray.

In response to the harsh weather conditions, schools in Bahçesaray were closed for a day, as the heavy snowfall made commuting unsafe and disrupted normal activities across the district.

Efforts to combat the snow's impact are underway, with 270 vehicles and 618 personnel deployed to clear snow and apply salt across an extensive road network of approximately 5,000 kilometers. In Van city center, snow removal operations are focusing on 25 main arteries and 65 intermediate arteries, while work to reopen roads in rural areas is ongoing.

The Van Metropolitan Municipality Disaster Coordination Centre (AKOM) has issued a call to residents, advising them to remove their vehicles from streets to aid in snow clearance operations or to leave contact details on their vehicles if they must be left. They emphasized the continued risk of icing and frost, with light snow expected to persist.

Authorities continue to urge caution among citizens to mitigate any further negative impacts from the weather conditions. (ILKHA)