Extreme Winds Wreak Havoc in Turkey, Killing Six

Extreme winds of up to 130 kilometres an hour left hundreds of buildings damaged, trucks overturned, trees uprooted and roofs smashed on Monday and Tuesday in Istanbul and the Turkish regions of Thrace, Marmara and the Western Black Sea.

Six people were killed and dozens were injured, according to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, while air and sea traffic was disrupted.

İstanbul pic.twitter.com/TOqttKcuYY

— Haber Report (@HaberReport) November 29, 2021

Dozens of planes scheduled to land in Istanbul were diverted to the cities of Ankara and Izmir and authorities had to close the Bosporus, the narrow waterway that bisects the city, for maritime and ferry services.

Schools and universities also cancelled classes on Tuesday in Istanbul and other cities.

"Due to strong winds from the south-west, face-to-face education in our educational institutions has been suspended for one day on Tuesday, November 30," Istanbul's governor, Ali Yerlikaya, wrote on Twitter.

A cargo ship damaged by a storm near the Bosporus in Istanbul on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN People take photos of a cargo ship upended by winds on the Bosporus in Istanbul on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN A man rides a bicycle by the Bosporus in Istanbul on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN The Bosporus in Istanbul on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN