At least 57 dead after major flooding in northern Turkey; 2,500 people evacuated
- Rescue efforts have been under way for four days, after the floodwaters destroyed most of the town centres in the Black Sea area
- Residents told local media that the death toll could be much higher than the official figures suggest
The death toll from severe floods and mudslides along Turkey’s Black Sea coast has climbed to at least 57, the country’s emergency and disaster agency said on Saturday, as authorities disputed reports that dozens more people were missing.
Torrential rains that pounded the Black Sea provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu and Sinop on Wednesday caused flooding that demolished homes, severed at least five bridges, swept away cars and rendered numerous roads unpassable. Turkish disaster agency AFAD said 48 people were killed in Kastamonu, eight in Sinop and one in Bartin.
Eight people remained hospitalised, according to the agency.
Speaking late on Saturday in Kastamonu, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 of the dead had not been identified yet. He slammed opposition parties, social media users and media for claims that hundreds could be missing. He said a total of 77 cases of missing persons remained in Kastamonu and Sinop but emphasised that does not necessarily mean they were dead. He added the previous number of missing persons was 143, including duplicate names and some reached alive.
Some residents in Kastamonu shared names and photos of missing people on social media since the floods began and an opposition politician had said on Friday that hundreds could be missing. The provincial governor’s office also said reports that there were 250 to 300 unidentified bodies were untrue. It did not specifically address how many people could be missing in the flooding.