Turkey: 165 rescued from flooded factory

By Tugba Yardimci

ORDU, Turkey (AA) - A total of 165 workers were rescued from a flood that hit a textile factory in Turkey’s Black Sea region, local officials said on Wednesday.

Heavy rainfalls starting Wednesday afternoon caused landslides and flooding in the region, especially in the Fatsa and Unye districts of the coastal province of Ordu.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Seddar Yavuz, governor of the Ordu province, said all 165 employees trapped at a textile factory in Unye district had been rescued.

“The evacuation of our people was carried out, and they’re at a safe place now," he said.

Enver Yilmaz, mayor of the Ordu metropolitan municipality, said that nearly 100 neighborhoods had suffered serious damage and nearly half a million people across seven districts were affected by the flooding.

Yilmaz said seven people people are being treated at local hospitals, including one hit by lightning, and nearly 600 state workers have been deployed to critical spots in the city.

Vice President Fuat Oktay is set to visit the region to inspect the damage.

After being briefed by local officials, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent also Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Mehmet Gulluoglu, the head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), to Ordu.