Status: 08/16/2021 7:28 p.m.
Extreme weather on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean: In Turkey, more than 70 people have died in floods. Fires, on the other hand, are blazing near Athens in Greece and near Jerusalem in Israel.
Heavy rains in the past few days have led to the worst flooding in years in the Turkish Black Sea region in the north of the country. The provinces of Kastamonu, Sinop and Bartin are particularly affected. Several houses were brought down by the floods, and bridges also collapsed.
At least 71 people died. More than 40 people were missing, reported the state news agency Anadolu, citing the Turkish civil protection agency Afad.
Rescue work continued in the affected regions, Afad said. Thousands of people were brought to safety. At the same time, clean-up work is under way to clear streets and buildings of mud left by the floods. According to experts, in addition to climate change, the straightening of rivers and the narrowing of the Ezine River in the Bozkurt district are also a factor in the severe flooding.
Forest fire near Jerusalem
A forest fire that broke out west of Jerusalem on Sunday was not yet under control in the afternoon. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had initially expressed hope that the fire could be brought under control during the day. According to media reports, the police were preparing for a possible evacuation of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem in the late afternoon. Ten fire-fighting planes also fought the flames.
According to the fire brigade, at least 1,700 hectares had already been burned in the morning. Several houses went up in flames.
According to the police, thousands of families in several locations had to leave their homes and seek safety. While the emergency services in two of the affected villages allowed the residents to return, three places had not yet been released for a return that morning. The army had supported the evacuation measures with helicopters.
According to a report by the army broadcaster, the police assume that the fire was caused by humans. However, it does not necessarily have to be arson, but could also have been caused by carelessness.
The smoke from a fire can be seen near Givat Yearim on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
Image: REUTERS
Several sources of fire around Athens
Several forest fires have broken out in the greater Athens area. A fire is raging in the east of the capital, near the small town of Keratea. Several nearby communities have been evacuated. The flames destroyed a large pine forest near the village of Villia, west of Athens. Villages were initially not threatened there, communicated the community service.
Several airplanes and helicopters were used to contain the fires, as seen on television. Before that, a fire raged near the port city of Lavrio. The residents of three villages 50 kilometers southeast of the Greek capital were called to evacuate immediately, according to the fire brigade.
Thick billows of smoke from the east of Athens could be seen as far as the Greek capital, some 20 kilometers away. The fire spreads across a broad front and is being fanned by strong winds, Lieutenant Governor Thanassis Avgerinos told the AFP news agency. The region is overgrown with easily inflammable pines.
Since the end of July, around 103,000 hectares of forest have already gone up in flames in around 600 forest fires in Greece. The island of Evia is particularly hard hit. However, there were also numerous fires in the Peloponnese west of Athens and around the capital itself.