A severe storm hit Istanbul, Turkey’s most populated city, on Thursday, July 27, 2017, with heavy rain, strong winds and hail stones up to 9 cm (3.5 inches) wide. The storm caused widespread damage and injured at least 10 people. The city was hit by a similar storm on July 18, leaving most of it under water. Thursday’s storm lasted only 20 minutes but it hit during the evening rush hour and was so violent that it managed to knock down trees, damaged buildings, and cars, disrupt
both road and air traffic and cause new rounds of flash flooding throughout the city. Several airplanes landing at Istanbul’s Ataturk sustained major hail damage. Officials said that 7 000 emergency workers were called in to help after the storm uprooted 230 trees, destroyed 90 roofs and sparked fires across the city. Strong winds toppled a large crane that landed on oil barrels at a port, causing an explosion and a fire that injured at least one person. Â READ MORE
