Bahçesaray, a district of the eastern province of Van, will mark the first month since the avalanche disaster that claimed the lives of 41 people. Yet, there is no sign that the thick layer of snow will melt anytime soon. Perpetual snowfall has nearly buried a bridge, the only safe passage in the area near the scene of the deadly avalanche. Authorities warn of more possible avalanches until April.
Deep snow and bad weather are no strangers for Bahçesaray where the winter sets in earlier and ends later than in most of the other areas in eastern Turkey. An avalanche had buried a minibus carrying passengers between central Van and the district on Feb. 4, and one day later, another avalanche hit rescue crews out to look for them. Experts say the district is going through one of the harshest winters in recent memory and the main road connecting Bahçesaray to Van, tracing the outskirts of a mountain, is still buried deep under snow. At a height of 2,985 meters, the Karabet Passage sees snow as thick as 6 meters in places, blanketing everywhere but the entrance of a snow bridge there.
The body of a firefighter, who was among the search party buried under the avalanche on Feb. 5, is still missing, along with trucks carrying base stations to the area.
Faruk Çeliker, who heads a crew working to maintain the road, said precipitation has been higher than normal this year and they saw avalanches hit 15 different spots on the road. “A 33-kilometer section of the road is entirely closed,” he said. Çeliker said they work at least until June every year to clear the snow but the avalanche risk has been higher this year. “It is a rough terrain here. We can only work again once the snowfall lessens,” he said.
