The harbor of the Mediterranean city of Iskenderun is shrouded in black smoke. Containers overturn and catch fire for unexplained causes as a result of the major earthquake in southern Turkey. Even on the second day after the collision, the flames are out of control.
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| Turkiye's Iskenderun harbor in flames |
Following the devastating earthquake, a massive fire broke out at the port of the southern Turkish city of Iskenderun, which is still not under control one day later. Current photographs show burning containers. Over the docks, black smoke rises into the sky.
According to the newspaper "Hürriyet," the fire started for unknown causes. Containers landed on fire. According to the state-run Anadolu News Agency, a coast guard ship was assisting in the extinguishment of the fire.
Iskenderun is an important grain, tobacco, and citrus fruit transhipment station in Turkey. The port city lies only a few kilometers from the epicenter of the previous day's powerful earthquake in the Turkish city of Gaziantep in the south. According to the present situation, about 5,000 people were killed in the Monday night earthquake. According to local officials, 3419 deaths have already been discovered throughout Turkey.
Authorities and rescue workers in neighboring Syria tallied a total of 1,602 dead in regions held by the government in Damascus and those controlled by insurgents.
Early Monday morning, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Turkish-Syrian border region. More than 50 aftershocks shook the region in the hours that followed. One of them measured 7.5 on the Richter scale.