Istanbul storm kills four people as strong winds wreak havoc in Turkey

High winds knocked over a clock tower and uprooted countless trees

The Bosporus, the narrow waterway that bisects the city, was closed to maritime traffic and ferry services were cancelled. AP

A powerful storm has pounded Istanbul and other parts of Turkey, killing at least four people and wreaking havoc in the city of 15 million, reports said.

The victims included a woman who died in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district, where strong gusts tore off part of a roof that landed on her and her child, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The child was injured but survived.

The Istanbul governor’s office said three other people were killed in the city, including a foreign visitor. Nineteen people were injured, including three who are in serious condition, it said.

The gusts also knocked down a clock tower, television images showed. The winds blew away 33 roofs, uprooted 192 trees, knocked down 52 traffic lights and road signs and damaged 12 cars, the Istanbul municipality reported.

The Bosporus, the narrow waterway that bisects the city, was closed to maritime traffic and ferry services were cancelled.

At least six Turkish Airlines flights scheduled to land in Istanbul were diverted to the cities of Ankara and Izmir, an airline spokesman said.

The strong winds also forced authorities to cancel ferry services between the coastal resorts of Bodrum and Datca, the DHA news agency reported.