Thousands of people have been stranded on the highways due to heavy snowfall that has been continuing since 18:00 o’clock yesterday.

Snow depth reached 50 centimeters in the center of the Gaziantep city and up to 80 centimeters in higher elevations.

The combination of snowfall and temperatures tightly below 0°C has caused many car accidents in the region.

At least 2,000 people trapped on the roads were rescued by snow removal teams, the governor's office said.

Municipality teams continue to work on reopening the roads that have been closed after snowfall started last night.

Many provinces in the region were affected by heavy snowfall and school shutdowns, including Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, and Mardin. (ILKHA)