April 10, 2012 - 10:54 AMT
Tornado kills 6 in central Turkish province

Six were killed and six others injured on Monday, April 9, after a tornado struck a construction site in the central Turkish province of Elazığ, Today’s Zaman reports.

The construction site sustained significant damage as the storm passed through the area, tossing about containerized housing units where workers lived and throwing them onto a tractor and several other vehicles. Four people died on the scene.

Elazığ Governor Muammer Erol said there were 12 people inside the housing units when the tornado struck. He added that eight injured workers had been taken to the hospital, but two of them died from injuries, bringing the death toll to six.

Erol added that they had received news of homes in nearby Elazığ villages being destroyed, but said their investigation of such reports revealed no such damages to nearby homes and buildings. He also confirmed that other than the death of the six construction workers, no one else was killed in the province.

Ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Elazığ deputy Şuay Alpay also arrived in the area to investigate the aftermath of the deadly incident.