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Turkey on Tuesday suspended northbound shipping traffic along the Dardanelle Strait as a precaution because of a rapidly spreading forest fire near the tourist town of Canakkale

Istanbul, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Aug, 2023 ) :Turkey on Tuesday suspended northbound shipping traffic along the Dardanelle Strait as a precaution because of a rapidly spreading forest fire near the tourist town of Canakkale.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said the blaze prompted the evacuation of six villages on Turkey's northwestern coast.

"We have concentrated all our forces on protecting the (Canakkale) city centre," Yumakli said in televised comments.

"The good news is that the winds seem to blowing away from the city centre of Canakkale." Televised images showed clouds of thick smoke rolling over the edge of Canakkale. NTV television said the fire was approaching a local hospital and university campus.

The emergency response service closed a local highway as a precaution and dispatched 10 planes and 26 helicopters to help douse the flames.

The Dardanelle Strait links the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara and is a popular tourist destination because it is also the site of the ancient ruins of Troy.

Turkey's transport ministry did not explain its decision to keep southbound traffic along the strait open.

"Tugboats have been alerted in case a possible response is needed should the fire reach the seaside," the ministry said in a statement reported by the Anadolu state news agency.