Whirlwind injures 38 in touristic Antalya

ANTALYA

A whirlwind hit Turkey’s Mediterranean province of Antalya late on Nov. 13, injuring 38 people.

High winds, heavy rainfall and a whirlwind devastated agricultural land, greenhouses, villas and cars close to the shore in Antalya’s Kaş, Finike, Demre and Kumluca districts.

A number of trees also toppled over as farm lands, greenhouses and vehicles sustained serious damage and a blackout occurred.

Several people were taken to the hospital, three of whom in a critical condition, following the storm, which ripped off roofs and demolished walls and gardens along the coast.

According to a local meteorology official, the estimated speed of the whirlwind reached 200km per hour.

Among the injured were those working on the district governor’s new building in Antalya’s Sahilkent. The makeshift container they were staying in left them especially vulnerable.

The winds reportedly turned a 20-ton truck upside down and a river flowing through the Turunçova neighborhood of Finike district swept a car away.

Five were injured in Finike and two in Kaş. Demre’s victims numbered 18, as falling trees and debris flying off damaged roofs caused injury, Antalya Governor Münir Karaloğlu said.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE) are still working in the area, assessing the extent of the damage.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is currently on an official trip to Kuwait, wished a speedy recovery to all those injured in a phone call, Karaloğlu added.

“A whirlwind, which developed between Meis Island and Kaş [district], merged with heavy rainfall when it hit the Çukurbağ Peninsula,” Kaş Mayor Halil Kocaer said.