Ships headed for the Turkey earthquake disaster area are being diverted due to severe port fire damage.
Since yesterday, a facility in Iskenderun, about 70 miles (112 km) southwest of Gaziantep, has been on fire.
Images from the scene show several containers on fire and a thick column of smoke rising above the port. Quentin Sommerville, a BBC Correspondent, stated earlier today that the air is still “thick with black smoke and the smell of burning petrol” around the port.
He continued: “It’s been burning since yesterday when the earthquake hit, toppling shipping containers and setting the port on fire.”
Major shipping firm AP Moller Maersk said in a statement it wasn’t clear when it would return to normal operations and that cargo is being diverted to other ports in Turkey, as well as Port Said in Egypt. With roads and airports damaged, the damage will add to the complex logistical problems government and aid agencies face in trying to get aid and supplies to the area.