Death toll rises to 58 in Turkish floods

At least 58 people have been killed in floods and flash floods that swept through three mountainous provinces in northern Turkey on Wednesday, where the search for missing people continues, Turkey's Afad emergency service said on Sunday.

The worst-hit province is Kastamonu on the Black Sea coast, some 400 kilometres east of Istanbul, where at least 48 people died, most of them in the village of Bozkurt, which was swept away on Wednesday afternoon by a powerful flood that swept through a residential area along the Ezine stream in just one minute.

In the province of Bartin, bordering to the west, an elderly woman died, while at least nine people died in Sinop, east of Kastamonu, where rescue efforts are still ongoing for people cut off by the floods that destroyed roads and bridges.

In total, nearly 2,500 people have been evacuated by Afad teams, some 1,500 of them in Kastamonu, according to Afad, which is now focusing its efforts on Sinop, where 20 helicopters are deployed.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar announced Sunday that the navy is sending two ships to Sinop to help evacuate citizens still trapped in the Black Sea coastal province.

Afad has not provided data on the number of missing, but on Friday, Turkish broadcaster NTV said the rescue agency is handling requests to locate more than 100 people, and an opposition deputy, Engin Altay, even raised the number to 300.

Many citizens blame the government for the disaster for having allowed the construction of residential areas along the rivers in these mountainous regions and for the proliferation of hydroelectric power plants.