Floods in Turkey: the toll is growing, Erdogan on the spot
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visiting an area affected by flooding in Bozkurt, in the Black Sea region in the north of the country, August 13, 2021. AFP - MURAT CETINMUHURDAR
Text by: RFI Follow
6 mins
After the fires that ravaged the southern side of Turkey, the Black Sea region to the north is devastated by floods of a magnitude not seen in decades in the country.
In the towns of Kastamonu and Sinop, the waves overflowed the riverbeds and caused the collapse of buildings.
The provisional human toll has worsened to at least 31 dead.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went there this Friday, August 13 to pledge the necessary support to the victims.
Publicity
Read more
According to a provisional report from the government agency responsible for natural disasters (Afad), 29 people died in Kastamonu province, located on the Black Sea, and two in neighboring Sinop.
An unknown number of people were also missing.
As a sign of the gravity of the situation, President Erdogan visited this Friday in one of the areas hardest hit by the floods, the district of Bozkurt, in the province of Kastamonu, where, in particular, a residential building of eight floors collapsed.
“
Your pain is the pain of all of us.
The State stands by your side with all its means,
”said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, before attending the funerals of the victims.
►
To read also: Turkey: floods in the north of the country after a series of natural disasters
"
We lost the house
"
Güler Erdogdu and his family had come for a vacation in their new house, located on the edge of a small stream, when they were surprised by the rising waters.
“
The water in the river kept rising, and the hill opposite collapsed because of the current,”
says Güler Erdogdu, joined by our correspondent in Istanbul,
Céline Pierre-Magnani.
And the bed of the river deviated towards our house. Water invaded the garden and swept away everything in its path: our walnut trees, our hazelnut trees… all our field and the surroundings… We lost the house.
"
Güler and his family were forced to abandon their home and take refuge in the heights before being rescued by army helicopters.
“
We had nowhere to go, so we had to get out of the house and take refuge in the cars.
We were two families.
We had an 8 month old baby and two 8 and 16 year olds with us.
We all took refuge in the car, but the rain continued to fall.
"
“
Then,
”
he continues, “
we went out by the road and we fled to find refuge in the woods and we ended up finding a village house to stay for one night.
And then a military helicopter arrived.
This is how we were saved.
They took us to Alanca.
"
The rain continues
As a result of heavy rainfall, in some cities, the water has reached up to four meters in height, according to the authorities.
The streets of entire cities have turned into torrents carrying cars and all kinds of debris.
Faced with the rising waters, the emergency services had to evacuate 45 patients from a hospital in the coastal region of Sinop.
Images broadcast on television and on social media showed villagers taking refuge on the roofs of their homes being evacuated by helicopter.
Several road bridges also collapsed after landslides.
Nearly 200 villages were still without electricity on Friday, authorities said.
Meteorological services forecast continued precipitation over the affected areas for the remainder of the week.
Political stake for Erdogan
The Turkish regions bordering the Black Sea are frequently prey to flooding.
Last month, six people died in Rize, in the northeast.
With two years of elections which already promise to be difficult for the Turkish president against a backdrop of economic problems, these natural disasters constitute a political issue.
During a trip to regions affected by fires at the end of July, the Turkish president sparked an outcry by throwing packets of tea from the roof of a bus to the survivors, his detractors having seen it as a sign of a lack of 'empathy.
►
To read also: Fires in Turkey: the hashtag #HelpTurkey irritates President Erdogan
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Turkey
Severe weather
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
On the same subject
Turkey: floods in the north of the country after a series of natural disasters
Turkey fires: #HelpTurkey hashtag irritates President Erdogan