Four workers have died after a tornado hit a construction site in Turkey. The tornado struck the Mediterranean coastal province of Antalya early on Tuesday, destroying a container housing workers and killing four of them, an official said. A fifth worker, who was staying inside another container, was injured in the powerful storm that hit the building site in Antalya’s Kepez district, Governor Hulusi Sahin told reporters.
Three of the workers who were killed were Syrian nationals, Sahin said. There was no immediate information on the condition of the injured worker.
The tornado, which came shortly after the country’s weather agency warned of heavy rains, also knocked down a crane at the site, Sahin said. There was no damage elsewhere in Kepez or in Antalya, which will host the UN climate summit, COP31, next month.
Antalya is Turkey’s fifth most populous city and is known as the country’s “capital of tourism” thanks to its stunning coastline, amazing beaches, and beautiful, warm waters. This area of Turkey is also very popular among British tourists.
Earlier this month, Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, was hit by severe floods that left eight people dead. The downpour began on Wednesday night, October 14, flooding homes and businesses, inundating roads and underpasses, stranding vehicles, and causing traffic chaos in Turkey’s capital.
During the floods, a 14-year-old was electrocuted after stepping into a puddle at a park in the Fatih district, and a 34-year-old slipped on the pavement in the Sariyer district and hit their head, according to local news reports.
Images showed several parked cars being swept by the floods in another neighbourhood, while firefighters rescued another person trapped in a flooded basement.
According to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, some areas had the highest amount of rain since 1985.
Turkey was also hit by flash floods in August, when 62 people died.
The flooding in August hit the country’s northern provinces, while the southern coasts were battling wildfires. The flooding also destroyed buildings and bridges, closed roads, and cut off electricity to hundreds of villages, causing the evacuation of more than 2,000 residents.
