Heavy rains hit Turkey, one killed in Edirne

EDİRNE / BARTIN

Torrential rains and storms created havoc across the country on March 5, as one person was killed in the Thracian province of Edirne and a neighborhood was flooded in the northern probvicne of Bartın.

Tunca River in Edirne flooded on March 5 following week-long rains, killing 63-year-old Mehmet Kahriman, who was hunting when the floods waters hit.

In Bartın, water levels in the river that runs through the city rose as much as five meters due to heavy rain and melting snow in the mountains, flooding some roads and a neighborhood located on the river bank.

Bartın received 144 kilograms of rain per square meter over two days, which followed snowfall last week.

Due to the combination of melting snow and heavy rain the Bartın River swelled, flooding a number of cafes and picnic sites in the province.
Bartın Governor Nusret Dirim has said the heavy rain and rising water levels do not affect daily life in the province.

Bartın Mayor Cemal Akın said water levels in the river had risen as much as five meters.

“There seems to be no problem at the point where the river flows into the sea. Flood water easily reaches the sea. We remain on alert and have taken all precautions,” Akın said. 

Some roads submerged

Following the heavy rain, the overflowing water from the nearby Kirazlık Köprü Dam flooded the road leading to the neighborhoods of Aşağıdere, Yukarıdere and Gökmenoğlu. Alternative routes were being used to reach the affected neighborhoods.

Governor Dirim dismissed earlier reports that around 300 people are feared to have been stranded in three neighborhoods.

“They are not cut off from the world and they are not stranded. The alternative roads leading to the affected areas are open. Some 100-150 people in those neighborhoods ignored warnings about the risk of rising water levels in the dam and continued to live in those areas,” Dirim said, adding that there is no life-threatening situation there.

The people in those neighborhoods had some problems with electricity and drinking water, but their needs have now been met, he also stated.