UPDATE 2 - Floods hit Turkey’s Black Sea provinces

UPDATES WITH DETAILS; CHANGES THROUGHOUT

By Anadolu Agency Staff

BARTIN/SINOP/ANKARA, Turkey (AA) - A new wave of floods due to heavy rains hit Turkey’s northern Black Sea provinces Wednesday, with an elderly woman missing and 13 people injured, according to authorities.

In the Ulus district of Bartin, one of the hardest-hit areas, Arife Unal, 85, went missing after her house was destroyed. Gendarmerie, Coast Guard, and Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) teams, along with residents, continue the search.

Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Catakli also confirmed that one person was missing after floods and landslides hit the Kumluca district.

Floods also damaged houses and businesses while sweeping away vehicles in Bartin.

Thirteen people were injured in Bartin, with vehicles overturned due to a collapsed bridge. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

The disaster agency said there were power outages in a dozen villages in Ulus district.

A public hospital in the Ayancik district was evacuated in northern Sinop province, according to AFAD.

Meanwhile, 19 people who were stranded in their homes due to heavy rains in Ayancik -- were rescued by two helicopters, the Coast Guard Command said in a statement.

The evacuation of the stranded residents is continuing in Avdullu village, where around 70 people are waiting, it said.

Turkish National Defense Ministry also said military helicopters are in the region to evacuate residents to safe areas and hospitals.

The Interior Ministry warned residents of Kastamonu, Bartin, and Sinop not to leave safe zones and to refrain from using roads near floods.

Officials in Sinop said heavy rains will continue Wednesday and Thursday, and it warned residents of possible floods and landslides.

Kastamonu and Karabuk provinces were also affected by the floods, with water damaging buildings, vehicles, and agricultural fields.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan and Iclal Turan