Daily Sabah – At least 16 people were injured and dozens of homes sustained significant damage after strong storms spawned a tornado in the Çeşme district of Turkey’s third-most populous city, Izmir, late Thursday.
The popular tourist destination first witnessed a heavy downpour around 9 p.m. local time on Thursday but the weather quickly turned violent, spawning a tornado that wreaked havoc across much of Çeşme around midnight.
According to Izmir Gov. Yavuz Selim Köşger, at least 16 people were injured.
“An unprecedented event has occurred in Izmir. This was a very powerful tornado. We have just inspected the coastline. Several cars in the area were flung over the rooftop of houses and were found far as eight to 10 meters (33 feet) away from their parking spots; it’s clear there is significant damage,” Köşger said in the early hours of Friday.
Köşger said homes and businesses near Alaçatı Port marina suffered significant damage, adding that nearly 700 greenhouses in the Urla area were damaged by severe hail as well.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer voiced similar concern over material damage that occurred throughout the night.
“The financial damage caused by the tornado that appeared near Çeşme Alaçatı Port is significant,” Soyer said.
Both officials said all emergency teams were made available to help the city.
Meanwhile, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli departed from Ankara to arrive at the scene of the storms, but the minister’s plane could not land in Izmir due to adverse weather and had to return to the capital.
As the day dawned, photos from the resort town revealed the true size of the damage.
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