Fire extinguished, cooling steps begin at Türkiye's Iskenderun port
A Beriev Be-200ChS water bomber aircraft of the Russia Ministry for Emergency Situations (MChS) drops water to extinguish the fire at the port in the earthquake-stricken town of Iskenderun, Hatay, southern Türkiye, Feb. 9, 2023. (Reuters Photo)


A fire at Türkiye’s Iskenderun port in the southern Hatay province has been extinguished and maritime operations have resumed in the region, the country’s maritime authority said on Friday, four days after the blaze broke out following earthquakes that struck the region.

More than a thousand containers, which had caught fire, are being separated and the rebuilding of the port will begin swiftly, the source added.

Another source at the port said smoke was still rising from the scene as cooling operations continued.

"The fire is completely extinguished but the smoke is rising. Barring an extraordinary scenario, it looks like there is no chance for the fire to erupt again, but cooling operations will last three more days," the person said.

Operations at the port were halted earlier and freighters were diverted to other ports.

The latest death toll from Monday's earthquake was revealed as 18,991 on Friday while another 75,523 people were injured, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Erdoğan also said that over 76,000 quake victims so far have been evacuated from the earthquake zones to different provinces.