As floods ravaged two Turkish districts that were already devastated by a major earthquake last month, rescue personnel found two more bodies on Thursday, bringing the total number of fatalities in the current disaster to 16.
The Associated Press reported that on Wednesday, flash floods brought on by torrential rain turned the streets in the provinces of Adiyaman and Sanlifurfa into rivers, swept away automobiles, and flooded homes and campgrounds where quake survivors were being housed.
The majority of the fatalities happened in Sanliurfa, where rescuers discovered two bodies on Thursday amid flood-related debris and mud that had been reported as missing. There, one missing person was still being sought after by the search crews.
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In Adiyaman, two people drowned after a container home sheltering a family of earthquake survivors was washed away by surging waters. A nurse and her two-year-old child are still missing.
Adiyaman and Sanliurfa were among 11 Turkish provinces that were hit by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Feb. 6, killing more than 48,000 people in Türkiye and an estimated 6,000 people in northern Syria.
Meanwhile, a moderately strong earthquake shook a city in northeast Türkiye on Thursday, sending people out into the streets in fear.
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake was centered in the city of Bolu, some 260 kilometers (162 miles) east of Istanbul.
Bolu’s mayor, Tanju Ozcan, told HaberTurk television there were no reports of damage to any buildings in the city but said many people rushed outdoors in fear.
He said medics had responded to “one or two” panic attack cases. A few people were also injured after jumping from balconies.
Story adapted from Asharq Al-Awsat
