Southeast Turkey : Several dead after floods

The devastating earthquake is followed by the next catastrophe in south-east Turkey: parts of the affected region are subject to severe flooding. According to Turkish media, at least five people were killed and several are missing.

Around five weeks after the earthquake, people in south-eastern Turkey are now struggling with flooding. Five people were killed and ten people are missing in different regions, state media reported.

Four people died in the province of Sanliurfa, which borders Syria, and rescue operations were also being carried out in rural areas, provincial governor Salih Ayhan told state broadcaster TRT Haber. Six people are believed to be missing. Authorities feared the death toll could rise further after the extraordinary rains, Ayhan said. The governor called on residents to remain in their homes or to go to safe areas if necessary. Schools were closed for a day.

According to the DHA news agency, the emergency room of a hospital was also flooded in Sanliurfa. The patients had been evacuated.

Container house washed away

In the neighboring province of Adiyaman, about 110 kilometers to the north, in the district of Tut, according to the Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, a container house in which a family was housed was washed away. A person died in the process. According to the media, four other residents of the container are missing. Soylu called on Adiyaman residents to stay away from river beds.

Hatay province: Water masses carry cars with them

For example, water entered tents in Iskenderun, Hatay province. As recordings by the broadcaster Haber Global showed, the masses of water tore cars with them and damaged roads and bridges. Videos showed people swimming to safety.

The Turkish civil protection authority AFAD expects further heavy rains in the region for the next two days and warned local residents of further storms and floods.

Earthquake kills more than 48,000

The earthquake on February 6 and many aftershocks killed more than 48,000 people in Turkey alone. After that, hundreds of thousands of people in the region were homeless and accommodated in emergency shelters such as tents.