Turkey Shuts Bosphorus Strait

Turkish authorities have closed Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait on Thursday for rescuing a teenager who went missing one month ago, according to Xinhua News. 

The Istanbul Port Authority announced that the two-way traffic in the region had been shut down at 8:45 a.m. local time (0545 GMT) for the underwater search and rescue activities.

Rescue teams have been trying to find Furkan Yildirim, 17 years old, who went missing while swimming with his friends on July 15 along the shore of Bosphorus, said Turkish Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications.

The authorities have extended the search area and rescue work as no evident progress had been achieved so far.

Meanwhile, Yildirim's family are waiting in a designated tent allocated by Turkish officials at Arnavutkoy neighborhood on the European side of the city.

A port authority official has told Xinhua that the traffic was expected to be resumed around noon.

Bosphorus Strait is a key hub for the maritime transit of mainly oil and grains connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.