At least 14 people have perished in the floods brought on by the torrential rains that slammed the southern earthquake-affected provinces of Adyaman and anlurfa, further damaging the tent- and container-dwelling earthquake survivors.
According to Mayor Süleyman Klç, one person whose container overflowed died in the earthquake-stricken province of Adyaman’s Tut district.
Temporary housing in the tent and container communities where earthquake survivors live was also inundated as a result of the severe rain in the provinces.
In these areas, some earthquake survivors were housed in dormitories.
Others were attempting to leave the water that had flooded their tents, which made their situation in the earthquake zone more difficult.
With the search and rescue efforts carried out by divers, two firefighters who missed during their efforts in the flood region were rescued.
One of the dead was a one-and-a-half-year-old child, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu stated.
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In an area of 25 kilometers, 10 teams consisting of 163 people, including divers, continue to conduct search and rescue operations, Soylu noted.
A hospital in which nearly 200 patients were being treated was evacuated as its first floor flooded, Şanlıurfa Mayor Salih Ayhan said.
In addition, at least six people were reported stuck in floods near the Abide Köprülü Junction in Şanlıurfa.
One person who was pulled out of the water with the support of the firefighters was transported to a hospital
Education was also suspended in the city on March 15.
“Precipitation is close to 200 kilograms per square meter. Our citizens should not go out. Those who live near the river should definitely stay away from there. Şanlıurfa has never experienced such a flood in its history,” Ayhan said.
The Turkish State Meteorological Service published its weather forecast report for March 14-20, issuing an “orange alert” for the southern region, which has already experienced difficult days due to the deadly earthquakes.
The provinces of Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Malatya, Kahramanmaraş, Mardin, Sivas, Şanlıurfa, and Kilis were among the areas issued an “orange alert” for a possible heavy downpour.
The flood came about 40 days after the Feb. 6 earthquakes, which claimed the lives of more than 48,000 people and left thousands of others homeless.
Story adapted from Hurriyet Daily News
