Tornado Sweeps Through Villages Near İskele

This past weekend, a tornado tore through Northern Cyprus, impacting several villages in the İskele region. The worst-hit areas were Büyükkonuk and Çayırova.

The TRNC experienced rainy weather and strong storm winds throughout the weekend. According to local reports, the tornado was spotted in villages near İskele on Saturday. Residents of Çayırova were the first to share footage of the storm's destruction on social media.

İskele Governor Ertuğrul Toroslu stated that on Saturday, the tornado passed through the area near the Livana Hotel in Karpasia and struck Çayırova.

The storm damaged the homes of 26 people, dairy farms, gazebos, and water tanks. Numerous trees were broken or uprooted.

Büyükkonuk also sustained heavy damage from the tornado. A caravan was overturned, and carob and olive trees were severely damaged.

The Mayor of İskele urged affected residents to seek assistance from the local administrations of Yenierenköy and Mehmetçik, as well as the İskele District Governor's Office.

It is worth mentioning that tornadoes and waterspouts (tornadoes over water) are rare events in Northern Cyprus. When they do occur, they tend to cause localized damage.