Fierce winds in Turkey killed four people in Istanbul in storms which closed the busy and strategically important Bosphorus strait to all shipping on Monday.

Turkey's directorate general of coastal safety tweeted that the strait -- the only maritime connection between the Mediterranean and Black seas -- was closed to ships from both directions from 1130 GMT.

Winds reaching 129 kilometres per hour (80 miles per hour) killed four people including a foreign national, and injured 19 people in Istanbul, the provincial authorities said in a statement.

One of the victims was a woman who died after a roof fell on her as she was walking in Esenyurt district on the European side of Istanbul, the private DHA news agency reported.

Planes landing in Istanbul were redirected to alternative airports in Turkey.

The wild weather also damaged buildings and infrastructure in Istanbul and the surrounding area.