Ship hits historic mansion on Istanbul’s Bosporus Strait

AP
The damaged Hekimbasi Salih Efendi Mansion is seen after the Maltese flagged tanker Vitaspirit crashed into it by the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul. (Reuters)

ISTANBUL: A cargo ship has crashed into a historic mansion on Istanbul’s Bosporus strait, severely damaging the building.
Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency said the Maltese-flagged cargo ship had a malfunction Saturday that disabled its rudder and caused it to lose control in the busy waterway.
Videos showed the large ship sailing straight toward the Asian shores of Istanbul, hitting the red seaside mansion of Hekimbasi Salih Efendi. No one was injured.
Anadolu said the 225-meter (738-foot) ship was carrying barley from Russia to Saudi Arabia.
The mansion once belonged to a doctor who served in the Ottoman palace and dates back to the 18th century.
The Bosporus is a key waterway connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and then the Aegean Sea.

Topics: Turkey Bosporus Hekimbasi Salih Efendi