Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced Monday death toll of floods that struck three northern states in the country last week climbed to 70 as rescuers recovered more bodies with emergency workers continuing to search for 47 missing people. Emergency crews on Monday pressed ahead with efforts to locate dozens of people who were still reported missing in Kastamonu and Sinop. AFAD said some 8,000 personnel, backed by 20 rescue dogs, are involved in the rescue and assistance efforts. Sixty of the dead were in Kastamonu, nine in Sinop, and one person in Bartin, while another eight are receiving medical treatment, AFAD added in a statement. A total of 341 people were evacuated from Ulus in Bartin, 1,480 in Kastamonu and 560 in Sinop. A number of areas western Black Sea witnessed heavy rainfall, leading to floods in the states of Bartin, Kastamonu, and Sinop, as Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced those areas "stricken". The floods last week brought chaos as torrents of water tossed dozens of cars and heaps of debris along streets, destroyed buildings and bridges, closed roads and damaged electricity infrastructure. Forty-seven people were reported missing in Kastamonu and Sinop, AFAD said. Drone footage showed massive damage in the town of Bozkurt in Kastamonu province, where rescue teams searched demolished buildings at the weekend. More than 2,000 people were evacuated from affected areas, some with the help of helicopters and boats, AFAD said. Weather forecasters warned of further flooding due to expected heavy rainfall on Monday in Black Sea provinces to the east of the regions affected last week. The heavy flooding came after Turkey endured a searing heat wave and as crews in the south were taming wildfires that raced across the country's Mediterranean coast. Climate scientists say there's little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving more extreme events — such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms — as the planet warms. — Agencies
