The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture said on Wednesday that a helicopter and another plane were fighting a fire that broke out again in the port of Iskenderun, in the south of the country, after it was extinguished on Tuesday. Operations at the port were suspended after a fire broke out due to the devastating earthquakes and aftershocks that shook the region on Monday, and cargo ships were diverted to other ports, Reuters quoted.

The port of Iskenderun suffered severe structural damage due to the earthquake and all operations at the port were suspended until further notice, according to A.B. Muller Maersk.

The company stated: "due to the situation in Iskenderun, we will need to change the destination of all bookings destined for the port or already in the water. We are currently planning to transfer the containers to nearby centers according to operational feasibility or keep them in temporary cargo ports, including Mersin (in Turkey) and Port Said (in Egypt),"he said.

A devastating earthquake struck both Turkey and Syria at dawn last Monday, which the World Health Organization considered the worst during this century in that region.

Meanwhile, the Syrian news agency on Wednesday quoted the General Directorate of ports announcing the reopening of all seaports in the country to navigation except for the port of Albacete in the city of Latakia.

The General Directorate had reported the closure of all seaports along the coastal strip last Monday due to a sea storm and increased wind speed.

https://www.alarabiya.net