Death toll from floods in Turkey's Black Sea region rises to 70

By Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - The death toll from floods in Turkey's Black Sea region has risen to 70, authorities said on Monday.

Floods caused by heavy rain hit the Black Sea region in the north of the country on Wednesday, leaving 60 people dead in the province of Kastamonu, a Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) statement said.

Nine others died in the Sinop province along with one more person in Bartin province. The treatment of eight people still continues in hospitals, it said.

A total of 341 people in Bartin, 1,480 in Kastamonu, and 560 in Sinop were evacuated to safe areas, added the disaster management agency added.

On Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the Bozkurt district in Kastamonu, the worst-hit flood area. Erdogan announced that the places affected had been declared a disaster area.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar