Dozens of cargo containers were on fire for the second day running on Tuesday in Turkey’s quake-hit southern port city of İskenderun, Agence France-Presse reported, citing local media.
The blaze at the İskenderun international port has raged since 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) Monday, when one of its containers toppled over from aftershocks following a deadly 7.8-magnitude quake, the Hürriyet daily reported.
Images broadcast by NTV news showed thick black smoke billowing from the containers.
Another video showed unsuccessful attempts to put the fire out on Monday night.
Shipping containers tumbled during the quake at Iskenderun harbor, #Turkey, followed by a fire. #TurkeyEarthquake pic.twitter.com/KWWArORQun
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) February 6, 2023
In one image the column of smoke resembles a tornado while in another, hundreds of brightly colored containers have fallen over.
Turkish authorities have sent a coast guard ship to help put the fire out at the port.
Sealand, a division of the Maersk container shipping company, said in a statement on Tuesday there had been “significant damage to logistics and transport infrastructure around the Pazarcik, Kahramanmaras, epicenter, including at the Port of Iskenderun.”
It added that all its operations would cease at the port until further notice because of the “severe structural damage.”
The company said it would divert cargo to other ports, including nearby Mersin.
Hatay, on the Syrian border, is one of the most severely affected Turkish provinces.
Earlier on Tuesday, Vice President Fuat Oktay said 872 people had died in Hatay.
The overall death toll now stands at 3,549 people in Turkey and 1,602 in Syria.
