Tornado kills four workers in Antalya, Turkey, as storms flood Istanbul streets

The tornado in Antalya

A tornado struck a construction site in the Fevzi Çakmak neighbourhood of Kepez, Antalya province, in southwestern Turkey. Most reports place the event overnight into Tuesday, 27 October, while Libertatea, which cites The Sun for the date, gives 25 October and puts the time at around 23:00. Two metal containers housing five construction workers were overturned, and the force of the wind threw the occupants out of the shelters.

Casualties and rescue

Governor Hulusi Şahin said four workers died and one was hurt. Two of the dead were found at the scene, and two more died after being taken to a hospital in the area, according to Europa Press and Libertatea. Şahin told the state news agency Anadolu that three of the dead were Syrians. The injured worker suffered light injuries and received medical care. Blick, citing a post by Nexta on X, reported that five workers had been thrown out of the containers and that several people had died.

Killed4

Injured1

Killed

4 people

Injured

1 people

Data from the article text

Damage on the site

A large crane on the same site was knocked over by the wind, but nobody was hurt by the steel structure. Tagesschau reports that parts of the containers flew hundreds of metres. Libertatea describes uprooted trees, damaged buildings and scattered site equipment on the premises. The governor said the buildings around the site were not damaged and that the tornado had destroyed only the two containers in that area. In western Antalya, the same storm damaged numerous greenhouses in a region that is one of Turkey's main centres for growing vegetables and citrus fruit, according to tagesschau.

Investigation and detentions

Authorities announced an investigation into the exact circumstances of the incident, and rescue teams kept checking the area for any other victims. According to authorities cited by tagesschau, four people were detained, including the owner of the construction company responsible for the site.

Storms spread across Turkey

Turkey's weather service issued a storm warning for the southwest and parts of the west of the country. In Istanbul, heavy overnight rain flooded roads and underpasses, and traffic was paralysed on the morning of 27 October, according to Hürriyet as cited by Blick. Tagesschau notes that floods in Istanbul in mid-October killed at least eight people. Meteorologist Orhan Şen, speaking on a live broadcast on CNN, said the ground was waterlogged from earlier rain, so flooding could occur again, though not as severely. Blick reports that the rain in Istanbul is expected to ease in the afternoon and on Wednesday, 28 October, while downpours continue in the south along the southern Aegean coast and more tornadoes are expected.

Climate conference context

Turkey is hosting the UN climate conference COP31 in 2026, with delegates meeting in Antalya from 9 to 20 November, according to tagesschau. Europa Press reports that hundreds of delegates and senior officials are expected in Antalya within weeks. The tornado therefore hit a city that is preparing to host the conference.