Turkey is grappling with the aftermath of devastating storms, excessive rainfall and flooding that have claimed the lives of nine people in three provinces and left an additional 11 missing following the sinking of a ship, local media reported on Monday, citing Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The minister announced on Monday that a total of nine people had lost their lives, with four in the southeastern province of Batman and the Black Sea province of Zonguldak and one more in Diyarbakır, also in the southeast, due to the floods and adverse weather conditions experienced over the weekend.
Due to the collapse of an adobe house in Batman as a result of flooding, three children aged 1, 5, and 9, along with their 54-year-old grandmother, lost their lives, and one person died in Diyarbakır’s Hani district after being swept away by floodwaters.
According to Yerlikaya, the Turkish-flagged Kafkametler cargo ship, with 12 crew on board, had sunk off the coast of Ereğli in northwest Turkey’s Zonguldak province and the body of one crew member had been retrieved.
Turkish media reports said at least 50 people were also injured in the storms.
The minister also stated that the Directorate of Meteorology had issued an orange warning for 29 cities on Nov. 19, but this number increased to 41 cities during the day.
The orange warning from the directorate indicates dangerous weather conditions with an uncommonly occurring meteorological event, making the likelihood of damage and loss of life probable.
“There are 16 damaged vehicles in four provinces, and we currently have 7,017 personnel in 16 provinces. In the four provinces, 109 people were rescued based on the notifications received,” Yerlikaya said.
Noting that municipalities and nongovernmental organizations have made significant preparations under the coordination of governor’s offices, the minister added that there have been 1,611 reports in 16 provinces, including 65 roofs being blown off, 270 trees falling, 102 cases of flooding and 1,150 other incidents.
Due to adverse weather conditions, a one-day school closure has been announced in Zonguldak, Bolu, Batman, Düzce, Karabük, Sakarya, Sinop, Diyarbakır and Bingöl provinces, certain districts of Bartın and thre Şile district in İstanbul. The closure in Zonguldak has been extended for an additional two days, and under the current conditions, students will return to school on Thursday.
Floods also occurred in İstanbul and Kırklareli provinces after heavy rains in September, resulting in the loss of eight lives.