ISTANBUL (TURKEY) – Six people lost lives in flash floods in Kastamonu in Turkey’s Black Sea region that sent water and debris gushing through streets and damaged bridges, authorities said on Thursday.
There was also flooding in the Black Sea provinces of Sinop and Bartin, where one person went missing on Wednesday and another died due to a heart attack, according to state broadcaster TRT Haber.
Helicopters were evacuating some people from affected areas, the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said, adding that some roads were closed due to collapsed and damaged bridges.
Television footage showed the floods dragging dozens of cars and heaps of debris along the streets. The heavy rainfall in the region was expected to ease on Thursday evening, AFAD said.
The floods also damaged power infrastructure, the Energy Ministry said, adding that some 10,000 households were currently without electricity as a precaution.
Turkey’s north is prone to flash floods in the summer when rains are particularly strong. Last year at least five people were killed in floods in the region.
In contrast, the southern coast of the country has battled raging wildfires that have burnt tens of thousands of hectares of forest for the last two weeks.