Energy Minister Says Power Cut in Central Turkey Still Impacts 20,000 Households

The lights of traffic are seen in the outskirts of Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 6, 2020. (AP Photo)
The lights of traffic are seen in the outskirts of Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 6, 2020. (AP Photo)
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Energy Minister Says Power Cut in Central Turkey Still Impacts 20,000 Households

The lights of traffic are seen in the outskirts of Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 6, 2020. (AP Photo)
The lights of traffic are seen in the outskirts of Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 6, 2020. (AP Photo)

Workers were still trying to restore power to some 20,000 households left in the dark for three days in the central Turkish province of Isparta after heavy snow caused disruptions to the electricity grid, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Saturday, according to news website Haberturk.

"Heavy snow and a blizzard caused serious damage to energy infrastructure… initially 113,236 users were left without electricity in the province...units are working in the field to restore energy to the remaining 20,000 users," Donmez said.

The governor's office in Isparta said some neighborhoods and villages were still without electricity since the snow started on Thursday but grid maintenance personnel were continuing work on power transmission lines, reported Reuters.

"There is a delay in restoring power... as the disruptions in utility poles occurred in a wide area impacting different lines, transportation to the areas is difficult and snow depth is around 1 meter (yard)," the governor's office said in a statement.

The authorities decided to ban use of motorbikes and electric scooters since Thursday and pause face to face education in schools for five days in the city of 450,000 people as of Feb. 7, according to a statement on the governor's office website.



South Africa Bus Crash Kills 12, Dozens Hurt 

A general view of the scene of a bus accident in Ekurhuleni on March 11, 2025. (AFP)
A general view of the scene of a bus accident in Ekurhuleni on March 11, 2025. (AFP)
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South Africa Bus Crash Kills 12, Dozens Hurt 

A general view of the scene of a bus accident in Ekurhuleni on March 11, 2025. (AFP)
A general view of the scene of a bus accident in Ekurhuleni on March 11, 2025. (AFP)

A bus overturned in an area of Johannesburg near South Africa's main airport early Tuesday, killing at least 12 people, city officials said, with dozens more injured.

The bus was carrying more than 50 people to work when it crashed on a busy road near Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, officials said.

Twelve people were killed and 45 others hurt, they said in a statement. "We are lost for words. This is a disaster," Ekurhuleni city transport official Andile Mngwevu said.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known. It forced the closure of the highway leading to the airport. Images from the scene showed the bus on its side.

A survivor of the accident told Newzroom Afrika television that it appeared the bus was speeding.

Despite sophisticated road networks, South Africa battles with a high rate of road deaths blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving, unroadworthy vehicles and failure to use seat belts.

Four school children were killed Monday and five others injured when two vehicles collided around Ekurhuleni, which lies east of Johannesburg.

At least nine people, including a four-year-old child, were killed last week when their bus careered into a ditch in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. The 82-seater bus was carrying congregants returning home from church.