Turkey: Death toll in Black Sea region floods hits 11

By Hayati Akcay

GIRESUN, Turkey (AA) – The death toll from flooding in Turkey's Black Sea province of Giresun has risen to 11, local sources said on Friday.

As part of ongoing search and rescue operations, rescue teams have found another body at the Harsit creek in the Dogakent district.

Local sources told Anadolu Agency that the body belongs to a gendarmerie who, with four colleagues, had been dispatched to the region to help the rescue teams but their vehicle fell into a culvert due to bad weather conditions.

Some 988 personnel and 288 vehicles have been involved in rescue efforts, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in a statement earlier.

According to reports, 157 people have been rescued so far, with at least 12 of them found injured.

At least 17 buildings have been destroyed and 361 more structures slightly damaged in the flooding that hit the region late last month, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum told reporters.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said earlier that damage assessments were ongoing, adding that farmlands seemed to have suffered less damage than initially estimated.

Around 9 million Turkish liras ($1.23 million) have been utilized for recovery and rehabilitation work in the region.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara