Floods Devastate Towns, Killing 27, in Northern Turkey

Members of civil defence organisation evacuate people in areas hit by floods in northern Turkey. Photo: Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate, AFAD.

Floods have brought chaos to the northern provinces of Kastamonu, Sinop and Bartın, from where thousands of people were evacuated by helicopters. Searches for the missing continue. The death toll is expected to rise.

"This is the most severe flood disaster I have ever seen," Suleyman Soylu, the Interior Minister, said during his visit to the disaster areas. He added that half of Bozkurt district in Kastamonu province was destroyed by flood waters. Many buildings, bridges, roads were fully or partially destroyed in the district.

Media footage show raging flood waters dragging dozens of cars and heaps of debris along the streets.

Bartın, Kastamonu ve Sinop'ta yaşanan sel ve su baskınları sonrası:

▪️Bartın'da 208 personel, 1 mobil koordinasyon tırı;
▪️Kastamonu'da 777 personel, 61 araç, 9 helikopter, 1 JİKU, 1 İHA;
▪️Sinop'ta 585 personel, 8 helikopter, 80 araç görevlendirildi.

➡️https://t.co/PsBBcuOeKL pic.twitter.com/a4UWn9DdfF

— AFAD (@AFADBaskanlik) August 12, 2021

"We are working with helicopters, divers, police, gendarmerie, civil protection units and many other institutions," Soylu added.

The government said that damages and people's losses will be reimbursed. A national aid campaign was launched in the Official Gazette on Friday morning.

AFAD on Friday said that 330 villages in total have been left without electricity.

"From a meteorological point of view, we are perhaps facing a disaster that we have not seen in 50 or 100 years," Bekir Pakdemirli, the Minister for Agriculture and Forestry,...