Ferry hit by heavy winds in Marmara Sea, several injured

BURSA

The sea bus, which departed from Mudanya around 18:45 p.m. on Aug. 17, despite a storm warning for the evening, was caught by heavy winds and powerful waves off the southern coast of the Marmara Sea.

A ferry connecting Bursa’s Mudanya port and Istanbul has been hit by heavy winds in the Marmara Sea on Aug. 17, with several passengers being rushed to the hospital.

The sea bus, which departed from Mudanya around 18:45 p.m. on Aug. 17, despite a storm warning for the evening, was caught by heavy winds and powerful waves off the southern coast of the Marmara Sea.

During the storm, one of the waves broke a window causing glass to shatter inside the sea bus, prompting the ferry to return to Mudanya. Some 17 people were transported to a nearby hospital with eight sustaining cuts due to the impact of the broken glass, while the others reportedly slipped on the wet ground, officials have said. Witnesses also said several passengers vomited and felt dizzy during and after the incident.

Passengers have criticized the captain for allowing the boat to depart despite the adverse weather conditions. “The vessel was completely full. It started to have difficulties shortly after we left Mudanya. It is puzzling why the captain decided to take off despite all those waves,” said Yılmaz Yeşilırmak, one of the passengers on board.

However, officials said the sea buses were designed to sustain strong winds, calling passengers irresponsible for sharing their experiences on social media. “We believe they did it deliberately. We will take legal action,” said Levent Fidansoy, head of the sea transportation company of Bursa who owns the sea bus line.  

Meanwhile, several sea bus and ferry services linking Istanbul’s Bostancı, Yenikapı and Kabataş docks with the ports of Mudanya, Avşa, Erdek, Armutlu and Tekirdağ were canceled early Aug. 18 due to the bad weather conditions.