One dead in rain-hit İzmir

İZMİR

Some districts of the Aegean province of İzmir have been lashed by heavy rains battering western provinces of Türkiye, with a woman in Tire losing her life by being caught in the flood waters.

Torrential rain that started in the afternoon on Dec. 13 adversely disrupted the daily life in Ödemiş, Kiraz and Tire, where the streets turned into a lake.

After the heavy downpour, a 95-year-old woman, Hamide Koca, living in the Tire was swept away by the flood waters.

Despite the rescue operation started upon the notifications, Koca’s body, dragged for meters by flood waters, was found by the teams.

Municipal teams were dispatched to the overflowing roads as the evacuation efforts still continue.

The Turkish State Meteorological Service had warned that torrential rain could be strong in İzmir from the night of Dec. 12, urging citizens to be careful and cautious against conditions such as flood, lightning, strong wind during precipitation, small hail and disruptions in transportation.

In Antalya, another province warned by meteorologists, the heaviest torrential rain of the recent years caused flooding on Dec. 12.

In Kumluca district, known as the greenhouse capital, a 44-year-old citizen had a heart attack when he went to check his greenhouse, which was under water, and died after being hospitalized.