Tornado kills four in Antalya as floods hit Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A tower crane toppled at a construction site in Antalya due to a storm and a tornado.

A tornado killed four construction workers in Türkiye’s southern province of Antalya late on Oct. 26, while heavy rain flooded roads and underpasses in Istanbul on Oct. 27, stranding drivers and halting traffic.

Around 11 p.m., a tornado struck two worker containers at a construction site in Kepez’s Fevzi Çakmak neighborhood, leaving two dead and two hospitalized, with one still undergoing treatment.

Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin said nearby buildings were undamaged and no storms or tornadoes had been reported elsewhere in the city. “We are facing a very interesting natural phenomenon,” he said.

The tornado hit a municipal viewing terrace, scattering tables, chairs, umbrellas and a waste container.

In Istanbul, bystanders helped Cengiz Bektaş and his daughter escape their car after it stalled in a flooded underpass in Pendik’s Çamçeşme neighborhood. Bektaş said he was taking his daughter to university.

In Tuzla’s Aydınlı neighborhood, drivers evacuated 41 workers from two shuttle minibuses stranded on Çamlıbelde Yolu Avenue. Two cars were stranded; the road closed and vehicles suffered water damage.

Floodwaters swept away goods outside shops in Şile. State Hydraulic Works crews began work with heavy machinery in Pot and Kabakoz creeks as water levels rose in the area.

Traffic congestion reached 80 percent, with queues on the July 15 Martyrs and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges. BUDO canceled eight ferry sailings and İDO three, while Şehir Hatları suspended Moda stops on one route.

Istanbul’s Disaster Coordination Center forecast winds of 40 to 70 kilometers per hour and a temperature drop of 5 to 7 C.

Poor drainage and paved surfaces can worsen Mediterranean urban floods, the IPCC says.