People walk among the debris after a small tornado has struck Cesme, Turkey, on Friday. AFP

A small tornado struck a town on Turkey’s Aegean coast, leaving a path of destruction and injuring 16 people, officials and reports said on Friday.

The tornado touched down late on Thursday in the resort town of Cesme, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of the city of Izmir. It uprooted trees, blew off roof tiles, swept up cars and knocked down a crane. At least four boats capsized.

Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer inspects damages after a tornado in the Aegean town of Cesme. Reuters 

The worst hit area was a construction site for summer villas where the crane was toppled and a container housing the construction workers overturned. Sixteen workers were hurt, including one who was hospitalised with a broken leg, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

“Cesme, a paradise on earth, experienced hell last night,” Anadolu quoted the town’s mayor, Ekrem Oran, as saying.

Powerful winds and hail also caused damage in the nearby town of Urla, destroying hundreds of commercial greenhouses.

Associated Press