Flood in Rize: Search efforts underway for two missing people

* Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Having lost their lives with four others in the flood in Turkey's Black Sea province of Rize, Hacer and Cemal Mert have been laid to rest.

The search efforts are still ongoing for Hasan Arıcı from the Güneysu Tepebaşı village and İzzet Sarıhasan from Muradiye.

Erdoğan: There are no longer trees

Following the Friday prayers at the Hagia Sophia in İstanbul earlier today (July 16), ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan talked about the incident.

"In the floor disaster in Rize, including my home district, there are unfortunately six losses of life apart from two missing," said Erdoğan, noting that "his district received 202 cubic meters of water in an hour." He stated, "We used to have trees with vertical roots, there are no longer those trees. Because they have been uprooted. Tea plantations have been formed."

Statement by main opposition CHP

In a statement about the incident, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Vice Chair Ali Öztunç has said that a year ago, a similar floor disaster took place in Çayeli district. He has raised concerns that 76 people have lost their lives in Rize due to floods in the last 20 years.

Indicating that "climate crisis is a known bitter truth," he has noted that "receiving such intense and heavy rainfall is not surprising and it is possible to reduce and eliminate the damages to be caused by rainfall." 

According to Öztunç, "factors such as human-induced destruction of nature, wrong zoning and construction policies, wrong water management policies, hydroelectric power plants and stream remediation efforts trigger these disasters": "If we do not take action about this issue and if we keep on acting as before, then, not negligence, but intention is to be sought there."

Öztunç has criticized the failure to implement the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization's Blak Sea Climate Action Plan. "There is the plan, but no action; we have never witnessed its implementation in any way at all," he has said, adding that "while the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ) is still after unearned income in stream beds, the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) are turning all streams into concrete channels."

He has further raised concerns that "the Directorate General of Forestry allows the cutting of trees while the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization approves hydroelectric power plants and stone quarries."

Flood in eastern Turkey

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), 50 small cattle have been caught up in the flood and lost their lives in the neighborhoods of Eğribelen (Hesentemiran), Mehmetalan (Memedalan) and Tepedam (Asteco) in Eralp district in Turkey's eastern province of Van.

The agricultural fields in the region have also been negatively affected. A landslide occurred in Albayrak on the Van-Başkale highway. Two people were stranded in a pickup truck. The stranded citizens have been rescued by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

In Saray, shepherd Ali Özlü has been wounded in a lightning strike.

Houses evicted

In the neighborhoods of İnönü, Erenler and Cumhuriyet in Sarıkamış district in eastern Kars province, the floods have caused material damage. While houses and workplaces have been flooded due to a clogged storm drain, several houses have been evicted. Kağızman has also been hit by a flood. It has caused material damage in Çallı and Karabağ villages.

Roads closed

Due to a flood in Diyadin district in Ağrı, another eastern province of Turkey, the transportation on the Turkey-Iran highway could barely continue. While agricultural fields have been damaged in Karapazar village, the Turkey-Iran highway has been closed to traffic due to the rocks and rubbles brought to the area by the flood. (DŞ/SD)