Fatal landslide claims one life in Afyonkarahisar

AFYONKARAHİSAR

In the Central Anatolian province of Afyonkarahisar, one person has died as his vehicle was trapped under piles of soil torn from high sections due to a landslide, another one was injured.

A landslide occurred in the Dazkırı district of Afyonkarahisar on June 13 at around 4:30 p.m. due to excessive rainfall. The pile of earth weighing many tons, which broke off from the high sections, flowed onto the highway.

A total of four people who were in two vehicles on the highway were stranded under piles of soil. Rescuers, gendarmerie teams and some citizens made intensive efforts to rescue people trapped in the vehicle. Citizens also struggled to change the direction of the water in order to prevent the flood, which continued to have an effect during the rescue efforts.

The people trapped in one of the vehicles were rescued soon after, while the search and rescue team raced with time to save the elderly couple in the other car.

The elderly woman was rescued alive, but the lifeless body of her husband was found soon after.

Afyonkarahisar Governor Kübra Güran Yiğitbaşı visited the area where the landslide occurred near the village of Sarıkavak on the Afyonkarahisar-Denizli highway and received information about the work from the officials.

Reminding that the Meteorological Service made the necessary warnings about excessive rainfall, Yiğitbaşı said that Afyonkarahisar has received the highest amount of precipitation since 1929.

In the meantime, torrential rain also caused severe flooding in the northern province of Samsun, hindering transportation and leading to significant disruptions.