Powerful storm paralyzes daily life in Marmara region

ISTANBUL

Fierce storms and torrential rain, which have battered the Black Sea over the past weeks, have now wreaked havoc in the Marmara region, bringing daily life to a standstill.

The storm that hit the Marmara Sea starting late on Nov. 28, caused severe damage in coastal provinces, with teams rescuing 11 crew members of a ship that ran aground in Istanbul.

"According to information received from the Coast Guard Command Center, the ship named Kadriye Ana, measuring 79 meters in length and carrying 600 tons of oil, ran aground in the Zeytinburnu coast area at 01:07 a.m. [Nov. 29]," said a statement from the governor’s office.

None of the 11 crew members were injured, the statement said, adding that initial inspection did not detect any environmental pollution or fuel leakage due to the incident.

"The occurrence of suitable weather conditions is awaited for the rescue operations of the ship," it added.

The storm also disrupted maritime traffic as the Istanbul Strait was closed for both directions, and ferry and boat services were canceled.

After the decision, ferry and boat docks were also closed. In the Beşiktaş district, waves rose meters high due to the storm.

On the morning of Nov. 29, with citizens unable to use ferries to go to work, traffic congestion increased significantly on the bridges as people turned to land transportation. Metrobus and metro services also experienced a remarkable surge.

A boat anchored on the Dragos coast of Kartal district sank, and many others suffered serious material damage. While the sunken boat was lifted from the sea with the help of a crane, owners of other boats tied reinforcement ropes to salvage their vessels.

The authorities reported that the roof of a house in Silivri flew off. In the district, two vehicles were stranded on the road, and streets turned into floods due to the rain.

The northwestern province of Bursa was one of the most affected provinces by the severe storm, leading the governor’s office to declare a one-day break in education in five districts. In the city, many building roofs were blown away, and the flying roof parts fell onto vehicles.

In Balıkesir, two rivers overflowed due to the impact of heavy rainfall, causing some fishing boats to sink, and streets and avenues were submerged in water.

In the Keşan district of northeastern province Edirne, the wind occasionally reaching speeds of 75 kilometers per hour adversely affected life, causing trees to fall onto roads, and a parked vehicle was overturned.

Meanwhile, search efforts by teams in the Black Sea province of Trabzon are expected to continue for the third day on Nov. 29 for two high school students who were swept into the sea while trying to capture footage of the meters high waves amid fierce storms.