Ship crashes into waterfront mansion in Istanbul after rudder gets stuck.
The Bosphorus Strait has been closed to transit traffic after a 225-meter-long Malta-flagged bulk carrier crashed into a historic waterfront mansion in the Anadolu Hisarı area on Saturday after its rudder got stuck, causing substantial damage.
The accident happened after the ship's rudder failed and it smashed into the Hekimbaşı Salih Efendi mansion around 4 p.m.
The mansion was built in the 18th century and has been used to host weddings and concerts, according to the mansion's website The vessel named Vitaspirit was heading to Ukraine from Egypt.
No injuries or environmental threats have been reported from the accident.
The scene of the accident was under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge on Istanbul's Asian side, the coast of which is dotted with posh mansions dating back to Ottoman times.
Accidents involving ships crashing into those mansions are rare, with vessels escaping the impact at the last minute occasionally.
Turkey's straits are among the most at-risk waterways in the world, according to experts. Over 50,000 vessels, including tankers carrying highly flammable oil, pass through the Bosporus,
an S-shaped channel with sharp turns and changing currents that pose challenges for vessels and sailors every year.
