Out-of-control cargo ship hits historic mansion in Turkey

A tanker has crashed into a historic mansion on Bosporus strait, severely damaging the building, in Istanbul, Saturday, April 7, 2018 Turkey's official Anadolu news agency said the Maltese flagged sh

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 on 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.

The historic seaside mansion on the Bosporus Strait was left severely damaged but no one was hurt. Photo / AP

Anadolu said the 225-metre 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.
- AP