BOZKURT: Flash floods that have swept through towns in the Turkish Black Sea region have killed 58 people, authorities said on Sunday, in the second natural disaster to strike Turkey this month.
The floods brought chaos to northern provinces just as authorities were declaring wildfires had been brought under control after raging through southern coastal regions for two weeks.
Forty-eight people died as a result of floods in Kastamonu province, another nine people died in Sinop and one in Bartin, the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said.
Drone footage by Reuters showed massive damage in the town of Bozkurt in Kastamonu province. Emergency workers were searching demolished buildings for the missing.
Torrents of water tossed dozens of cars and heaps of debris along streets, destroyed buildings and bridges, closed roads and cut off electricity to hundreds of villages.
More than 2,000 people were evacuated from affected areas, some with the help of helicopters and boats, AFAD said.
According to experts, in addition to climate change, the straightening of rivers and the narrowing of the Ezine river in the Bozkurt district is a factor in the severe flooding.
Residents told local media that the death toll could be much higher than the official figures suggest. Others claimed in social media that water had drained from a nearby hydroelectric dam in Bozkurt, exacerbating the flooding.
Kastamonu governor's office rejected reports in social media saying more than 250 had been killed, calling them "fake statements".
Several bridges have collapsed and some of the affected areas still lack running water and electricity, according to the AFAD.
The military was setting up five armoured vehicle-launched bridges in Kastamonu and Sinop, the Defence Ministry said on Twitter. -- Agencies
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