Death toll from floods in northern Turkey reaches 31
Source: AP
By SUZAN FRASER
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The death toll from floods and mudslides in northern Turkey rose to at least 31 on Friday, officials said, as emergency crews searched collapsed buildings, swamped homes, and submerged basements for more victims and survivors. An opposition politician said more than 300 people may be unaccounted for.
Torrential rains that pounded the Black Sea coastal provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu, Sinop and Samsun on Wednesday caused the flooding that demolished homes and bridges and swept away cars. More than 1,700 people were evacuated across the region, some lifted from rooftops by helicopters, and many were being temporarily housed in student dormitories.
Most of the people killed were in Kastamonu, where a stream burst its banks and inundated the town of Bozkurt. Raging floodwaters demolished one waterfront building and severely damaged two neighboring buildings. A number of bodies washed up on the Black Sea shore, Halk TV reported, airing footage of people carrying a body bag on a beach in an unidentified province.
The floods struck on the heels of wildfires in southern Turkey that devastated forest lands in the seaside provinces of Mugla and Antalya that are popular with tourists. At least eight people died and thousands of residents were forced to flee.
An aerial photo shows destroyed buildings after floods and mudslides killed about two dozens of people, in Bozkurt town of Kastamonu province, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. Heavy rainfalls that pounded the Black Sea coastal provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu, Sinop and Samsun on Wednesday caused the flooding that demolished homes and bridges and swept away cars. (Ismail Coskun/IHA via AP)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-environment-and-nature-turkey-floods-2fcbbb0252bc9b80a72a7fafbbab0a9c
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