2,400 athletes swim in Bosphorus Strait from Asia to Europe
Istanbul, July 22: Around 2,400 athletes swam from Asia to Europe on Sunday, in a cross-continental swimming race in Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait.
The swimmers began the 6.5-kilometer-long race in the Kanlica neighbourhood in the Asian part of the city and swam along the strait towards Kurucesme on the European side, reports Xinhua news agency.
Dogukan Ulac won gold in the men's category with a time of 46 minutes 58 seconds, while Hilal Zeynep Sarac took the spoils in the women's race in 50 minutes 30 seconds.
The strait, one of the most important waterways in the world, was closed to sea traffic for hours for the 30th Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race.
Over 4,400 swimmers from 55 countries applied to participate in the race, but only around 2,400 of them were qualified to compete, according to organisers.
The strong current of the strait and the wind were determined as the most challenging aspects of the event.
The race was first launched in 1989, when four women and 64 men took part, and has gradually become an important event for swimmers across the world.
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Death toll from Israeli strikes in northeast Lebanon rises from 8 to 24, Lebanese news agency says
Deir al-Balah, Nov 1: Israeli airstrikes on Friday killed at least 24 people in northeastern Lebanon, the country's news agency said, raising the death toll from eight there.
It was the latest deadly toll in the area since the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah escalated last month.
Israel's military has said that its operation in Lebanon is targeting Hezbollah's military infrastructure.
Lebanon's state National news Agency reported four airstrikes in different villages across country's northeast, saying rescuers were still searching for survivors in Younine, a town in the Bekaa Valley, from the rubble of a targeted house.
Hussein Haj Hassan, a Lebanese lawmaker representing the region in Baalbek-Hermel region, said that 60,000 people have already fled their homes in the area due to Israeli bombardment.
