The death toll from severe floods and mudslides in coastal Turkey has climbed to at least 40, the country's emergency and disaster agency said Saturday. Torrential rains that pounded the Black Sea provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu and Sinop on Wednesday caused flooding that demolished homes, severed at least five bridges, swept away cars and rendered numerous roads unpassable. Turkish disaster agency AFAD said 34 people were killed in Kastamonu and six in Sinop. Nine people remained hospitalized in Sinop and one person was missing in Bartin province, according to the agency. About 2,250 people were evacuated across the region, some lifted from rooftops by helicopters, and many were being temporarily housed in student dormitories, AP quoted authorities as saying. A huge search-and-rescue operation is under way in northern Turkey after flash floods along the Black Sea. Kastamonu province is the worst-hit area. Apartment buildings in the town of Bozkurt were destroyed when the Ezine River burst its banks. This month Turkey has also had to battle huge wildfires in the south. Eight people died when a fire-fighting plane crashed in Adana on Saturday, just before it was due to land. Five Russian servicemen and three Turkish citizens were on board the aircraft, Interfax agency reported. Those fires — which are now under control — forced thousands of locals and tourists to flee Marmaris and surrounding areas. Eight people died and more than 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of vegetation was devastated. The floods, triggered by torrential rain, caused some buildings to collapse, smashed bridges, clogged streets with wrecked cars and cut power supplies. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Kastamonu on Friday and attended a funeral for some of the flooding victims. "We can't bring back the citizens we lost, but our state has the means and power to compensate those who lost loved ones," Erdogan said after leading prayers. Erdogan's government has faced criticism for its handling of Turkey's recent natural disasters. In the flooded areas, helicopters plucked some people from rooftops while others were rescued by boat. More than 1,700 people have been evacuated, and as many as 330 villages are without electricity. Turkey's latest disaster came in the week that a major UN report warned of more extreme weather events because of human-induced global warming. Flash floods and severe heatwaves are afflicting much of Europe this summer. — Agencies
