Storms paralyze life across Turkey

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

A boat sailing in Istanbul caught fire after a suspected engine failure, going up in flames with passengers on board. Fishing boats rescued the 10 people on board. DHA photos

High winds reaching 100 kilometers an hour killed six person and left numerous injured all across Turkey yesterday.

One person was killed in an accident in the Aegean province of Denizli. İsmail Karagönlü, 28, was killed in a motorcycle accident after the storm caused him to lose his grip on his bike, resulting in him flying off the road.

A boat sailing in Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait caught fire after a suspected engine failure, going up in flames with passengers on board. Fishing boats in the vicinity rescued the 10 people on board.

The storm also tore off roofs from many buildings around the city, with a number of injuries reported. Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu said they had been notified by nearly 300 Istanbul residents that their roofs had been torn off.

Justice and Development Party deputy Gülay Dalyan also fell in the Parliamant’s garden due to the storm. She was lightly injured and immediately taken to the hospital, according to reports.

Roads closed

Severe weather conditions also halted daily life in Istanbul, as bridges and the Trans European Motorway [TEM] partly closed after storm tipped over truck near the Kavacık district.Lanes on the Bosporus Bridge was closed down and drivers were warned to hold on to their steering wheels tightly. Elsewhere, a truck tipped over close to a Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge exit, causing a large traffic jam.

Ankara, Eskişehir and İzmir provinces also witnessed heavy storms. A young man was reported seriously injured after a tree fell on him in Eskişehir, while four injuries were also reported in Isparta.

Turkey’s national air carrier Turkish Airlines, or THY, has cancelled 42 domestic and international flights on Thursday due to strong southwesterly winds in Istanbul.

The Istanbul Gas Distribution Industry and Trade inc. (İGDAŞ) issued a press release, warning its users to be very careful of possible gas leaks due to the ongoing storms.

The General Directorate of Meteorology said the extreme weather conditions would continue until noon today. The temperature will decrease from six to eight degrees Celsius in western Turkey.