Türkiye: tornado hits Antalya province, leaves four dead

A tornado left four dead and one injured in the province of Antalya, in southern Turkey, the governor of the province announced on Tuesday, a rare phenomenon in this tourist region which is hosting the next COP in November.

“A very unusual natural phenomenon”

Workers on a construction site were sleeping when the tornado struck, destroying the container in which they were housed, Governor Hulusi Sahin told reporters. “Two workers died on site and two others died in hospital. One person is slightly injured. We are facing a very unusual natural phenomenon, as no storms or tornadoes have been reported elsewhere. There was only rain,” he added.

The very isolated phenomenon destroyed only two shelters on site without causing any damage to the surrounding area, he said. Antalya is due to host hundreds of delegates from around the world in two weeks for COP31, co-hosted by Turkey and Australia.

In Istanbul (west), heavy rains which started in the night and intensified in the morning disrupted traffic. Underpasses were flooded in many areas of the city, Turkish media reported. Floods killed eight people in mid-October in Turkey's largest city and neighboring provinces.