Turkey floods kill 10 in earthquake-affected provinces

Several people were evacuated from a drenched campsite where earthquake survivors were sheltering in tents, media reports said

Cars and debris are scattered during floods after heavy rains in Sanliurfa, Turkey, on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Floods caused by torrential rains hit two provinces that were devastated by last month’s earthquake, killing at least 10 people and increasing the misery for thousands who were left homeless, officials and media reports said. | Photo Credit: AP

Floods caused by torrential rains hit two provinces that were devastated by last month’s earthquake, killing at least 10 people and increasing the misery for thousands who were left homeless, officials and media reports said on March 15. At least five other people were reported missing.

One person was killed in the town of Tut in southeastern Adiyaman province, where surging waters swept away a container home sheltering a family of earthquake survivors, Gov. Numan Hatipoglu said.

The Governor of neighbouring Sanliurfa province, Salih Ayhan told HaberTurk television that four people were killed by the floods in his region. Later, rescuers found the bodies of five Syrian nationals inside a flooded basement apartment in Sanliurfa, the private DHA news agency reported.

Television footage from Sanliurfa showed flood waters surging along a street and sweeping away cars as well as a man being rescued from an underpass.

Several people were evacuated from a drenched campsite in where earthquake survivors were sheltering in tents. Patients were also evacuated from a hospital, HaberTurk reported.

Turkey's disaster management agency said more than a dozen professional divers were involved in the rescue efforts in each of the two provinces.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck parts of Turkey and Syria on February 6, killing more than 52,000 people — the vast majority in Turkey. More than 200,000 buildings in Turkey either collapsed or were severely damaged.