Tornado kills four construction workers in Türkiye as storm hits Antalya

A tornado tore through a construction site in Antalya’s Kepez district late on Monday, October 26, killing four workers and injuring a fifth, Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin said. Two of the workers died at the site and two after being taken to hospital. Şahin said three of those killed were Syrian nationals. The injured worker’s condition was not immediately available. The wind destroyed two accommodation containers where the workers were sheltering and also toppled a tower crane. The governor said the crane’s collapse caused no additional casualties and that nearby parts of the city reported no comparable damage. The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that emergency teams continued inspecting the site after the storm. The Turkish State Meteorological Service had issued a heavy-rain warning for Antalya ahead of the event. Its October 25 alert forecast intense rain from Monday into Tuesday and warned of risks including flooding, strong winds and waterspouts along the coast. That warning confirms hazardous weather was expected; it does not show that officials could predict a tornado at this particular site. Şahin described the damage as highly localized. AP reports that tornadoes do occur periodically along Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast, but deadly incidents are rare. The immediate confirmed toll is four dead and one injured. Authorities were still checking the site for further casualties, and the available reports do not establish why the workers were inside the containers, whether shelter arrangements met safety requirements, or whether a formal investigation has begun. Those questions matter for any review of construction-site protections during severe weather. Anadolu Agency reported the deaths and quoted Şahin’s account; the warning came from Türkiye’s State Meteorological Service. AP independently reported the same toll and identified three of the victims as Syrian nationals. ~world