A small, localised tornado struck a construction site in Antalya’s Kepez district late on Monday, tearing apart two containers used as living quarters by workers and killing four of them, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported, citing Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin.
The tornado hit the site in the Fevzi Çakmak neighbourhood at around 23:00, according to Sabah and Aksiyon. The workers inside the two containers were thrown out by the force of the wind. Two died at the scene and two more died at the hospital they were taken to. One worker was injured, and officials said his condition was good.
Some early reports put the death toll at five. Sabah reported that one of the workers taken to hospital had been resuscitated, and AA and NTV later gave the toll as four dead and one injured. The victims’ names and nationalities had not been released by Tuesday morning.
Governor: an unusual, isolated event
Ambulance, police and fire crews went to the site after an emergency call, and Governor Şahin visited the scene during the night. He described the tornado as a very unusual natural event, saying no storm or tornado had been reported anywhere else in the city and nearby buildings were undamaged.
A tower crane on the same site was also knocked over, but the governor said it did not cause the deaths or injuries. NTV reported that some vehicles were damaged. Teams continued to check the area for any other victims, and an investigation is under way.
According to Sabah, Şahin said the regional meteorology director had warned at a provincial coordination meeting earlier on Monday that the province should prepare for extreme weather. The Antalya Governor’s Office had issued a heavy rain warning for all of Tuesday, with flash flood, hail, lightning and strong wind risks.
Muğla under severe rain warning, no school closures announced
In neighbouring Muğla, which is under a severe rain warning from 03:00 to 23:59 on Tuesday with up to 100 kg/m² of rain expected in Fethiye, Marmaris, Dalaman and Datça, the first overnight damage was reported in the provincial centre. Aksiyon reported that a road caved in after rain in the Kötekli neighbourhood of Menteşe and a car fell into the hole. The two people inside got out on their own, and the section was cordoned off.
By around 08:00 on Tuesday, neither the Muğla Governor’s Office nor the provincial education directorate had announced school closures, local news site Politikam reported, and no closure was reported for Antalya either. On Monday, heavy rain flooded workplaces in Bodrum and briefly closed the Gümüşlük road.
Weather warnings in both provinces cover flash floods and strong winds, so residents should avoid low-lying roads and stream beds until they expire. Our guide to living in Antalya covers local services and emergency numbers.
Sources
- Antalya’da hortum nedeniyle parçalanan konteynerlerdeki 4 işçi öldü, 1 işçi yaralandı (AA)
- Antalya’da hortum işçi konteynerini parçaladı: 4 işçi öldü, 1 işçi yaralandı (NTV)
- Antalya’da hortum faciası: İşçilerin kaldığı 2 konteyner havaya savruldu (Sabah)
- Muğla Menteşe’de yağış nedeniyle yol çöktü, araç çukura düşüp mahsur kaldı (Aksiyon)
- Muğla’da okullar tatil mi edildi? (Politikam)
Photo: alonefanky / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
