Turkish Cypriots Protest Daylight Saving Time after Deadly Crash

Almost 1,000 people protested Thursday in breakaway northern Cyprus over its decision to abandon Daylight Saving Time, blaming the move for a road crash that killed two schoolgirls.

"It's not possible to go to school in the dark!," "Government, resign!", chanted the demonstrators gathered outside the prime minister's office in the northern sector of divided Nicosia. 

Trade unions and student organizations called the protest, with several students vowing to keep up the demonstration until the clocks were turned back an hour.

A school bus collided with a truck early on Tuesday morning, killing the driver and two girls.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci cut short a visit to Turkey to chair an emergency cabinet meeting Thursday on measures to prevent such accidents.

In September, Turkey said it would not turn its clocks back from this winter, staying on summer time all year round in a bid to better utilize daylight.

Northern Cyprus, linked to Turkey through the banking sector, aviation, business and commerce, decided to follow suit, unlike the Greek Cypriots in the south, leaving the island with two different time zones in the winter months.

Cyprus has been divided since Turkish troops invaded its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.