A massive fire broke out at the Iskenderun Port even as Turkey continues to reel under the four devastating earthquakes that has brought life to a standstill in the country.
Fire that broke out at a section of a port in an earthquake-stricken city in southeast Turkey is raging for a second day.
Television images Tuesday showed thick black smoke rising from burning containers at Iskenderun Port in the city of Iskenderun.
Reports said the fire was caused by containers that toppled over during the powerful earthquake that struck southeast Turkey on Monday.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said a Turkish Coast Guard vessel was assisting efforts to extinguish the fire.
Big loss for shipping firms
Turkish shipping agency Tribeca said that some cargo areas of Limak port at the Iskenderun complex were still on fire and the terminal was closed to all operations until further notice.
Leading global container shipping group AP Moller Maersk said there had been significant damage to logistics and transport infrastructure around the earthquake epicentre, including at the Port of Iskenderun.
It said it was looking to divert ships as needed, given the “severe structural damage, leading to a complete stop of all operations until further notice”.
Death toll crosses 5,000
Four massive earthquakes have hit Turkey, parts of Syria and Lebanon in the past couple of days along with several aftershocks.
The combined death toll has crossed 5,000 while several others are injured, missing and displaced.
