STORM
At least four people, including a foreign national, died and dozens of others were injured on Monday after heavy storms hit Turkey's biggest city Istanbul and its surrounding regions, the governor's office said.

Two women died in Istanbul's and Sultangazi districts, while a construction worker died when a collapsing wall crushed him in the northern province of Zonguldak.

Seas overflowed and roofs blew away in some provinces of Izmir, Kocaeli and Bursa. Turkey's weather agency issued an orange-level storm warning for 17 provinces, the second-highest of the four danger levels, and a yellow alert, the third-highest danger level, for 35 provinces.

In a statement on Twitter, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca confirmed four people lost their lives and 38 people were injured as of 5:30 p.m.



"Due to the adverse weather conditions caused by southwesterly winds that have been effective in Istanbul since the morning, four people have lost their lives, one of whom was a foreign national and three were our citizens," the Istanbul Governor's office said in a statement.

According to the Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS), more torrential rain and thunderstorms are possible in the Marmara, Aegean, Western Mediterranean and western Black Sea regions and the northwest of central Anatolia.


Mud rain was seen in Istanbul in the morning hours due to the storm. Many drivers flocked to car washes to clean their mud-covered cars. According to the TSMS, the speed of the wind reached 80.78 mph (129.95 kph) in the Beylikdüzü district of Istanbul, 62.14 mph in the Adalar district on the Princes' Islands and 49.71 mph around the Bosporus.

Turkey's flag-carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) reported disruptions to its flight schedule, while the Bosporus has been closed to traffic from both directions.

A clock tower blew over because of the heavy wind in the Çatalca district. Also, two trucks and one pickup truck overturned in Çatalca. No injuries were reported.

The sea washed across the shoreline in Izmir due to the storm getting stronger in its Karşıyaka district. The roads turned into lakes and one side of the double lane road was flooded. Some homes and businesses were also flooded.

The severe storm also made life difficult for the citizens in Karşıyaka. Trams were canceled due to seawater flooding the tram line. Meanwhile, all sea voyages in Izmir were temporarily suspended due to adverse weather conditions. City crews are working to clear the water.

Roofs damaged, ferries canceled in Kocaeli

The heavy storm also affected Kocaeli and caused the roofs of some houses to blow off. Due to the storm, the roof of a two-story house under construction in Kocaeli's Körfez district was damaged. Firefighters arrived at the scene and removed the damaged roof. The planned ferry services in Izmit were also canceled.

Storm in Bursa

A storm with winds reaching speeds of 80 kph in Bursa blew away roofs and knocked down trees and poles. The tram that provides citywide transportation was left stranded under a roof blown off during the storm.

A plane that could not land in Yenişehir returned to Ankara. The TSMS warned people to be cautious amid the strong winds expected to reach 90 kph. The warning also stated that the rain and thunderstorms predicted for the province are expected to remain strong until early Tuesday.

Storms are expected from the south and southwest directions in the western Black Sea region. It is estimated that the storm will turn severe with winds of up to 75-90 kph in the evening on the same day and will later taper in strength early Tuesday.

damage
© AA