Flood in Black Sea: 17 people lose their lives

* Photos: Anadolu Agency (AA)

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Heavy rainfall has led to floods in Turkey's Western Black Sea region. According to a statement released by the Interior Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), 10 people were caught up in water and lost their lives in Kastamonu province. While the efforts to find and rescue one missing person was reportedly still ongoing in Bartın, one person died in the flood in Sinop province.

President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also made a statement about the floods later in the day and announced that 17 people have lost their lives in Kastamonu, Bartın and Sinop provinces in Turkey's Black Sea region.

In a statement about the issue, Deputy Interior Minister Muhterem İnce has announced that 318 people in Bartın, 210 people in Kastamonu and 106 people in Sinop have been evacuated by helicopters and vehicles.

* Kastamonu

Search and rescue efforts

The AFAD statement has indicated that the AFAD teams, firefighters, the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE) and gendarmerie officers are searching for the person who went missing in Akörensöküler Village.

Noting that the "governor's offices of Samsun, Amasya, Çorum, Çankırı, Karabük, Giresun, Ordu, Tokat, Bolu, Düzce and Zonguldak provinces have been on full alert," The AFAD has also shared detailed information about the number of search and rescue personnel and equipment.

* Sinop

According to the statement, 300 flood victims have been evacuated from the Zaferköy Ağdacı Neighborhood in Bartın's Ulus district and taken to a safer area. 210 citizens have also been evacuated from the Güzel and Merkez neighborhoods in Kastamonu's Çayüstü village.

While 106 flood victims have been evacuated from the villages of Babaçay, Zaviye, Söküçayırı and Yenikonak in Sinop's Ayancık district, the patients in treatment at the Ayancık Public Hospital have also been evacuated, the AFAD statement has indicated further.

The AFAD has also announced that there are power cuts in 4 villages in Bartın, 180 villages in Kastamonu and 87 villages in Sinop's Ayancık and Türkeli districts. One mobile power vehicle has been reportedly referred by the AFAD's Samsun branch to Kastamonu. A generator has also been sent from Samsun to Sinop to be used by the search and rescue teams.

While two bridges in Kastamonu and two bridges in Bartın have collapsed, several bridges in three provinces have been damaged. There is currently no connection to Sinop's Ayancık village from village roads.

Precipitation on August 11-12

According to the reports of the General Directorate of Meteorology, on August 11, 2021, the amount of precipitation received by districts was as follows: Bartın Ulus - 90 mm; Kastamonu Küre - 198 mm, Pınarbaşı - 167 mm, Azdavay - 145 mm, İnebolu - 123 mm, Abana - 122 mm, Bozkurt - 117 mm; Sinop Merkez - 104,6 kg, Ayancık - 301,03 kg, Boyabat - 76,6 mm, Dikmen - 54 mm, Erfelek - 78,6 mm, Gerze - 72,4 mm, Merkez - 83,8 mm, Türkeli - 223,23 kg. The heavy rainfall is expected to subside in the region as of 6 pm today (August 12). (EMK/SD)