Search ongoing for students swept into sea by giant waves

TRABZON

Search efforts by teams in the Black Sea province of Trabzon are ongoing for the second day for two high school students who were swept into the sea while trying to capture footage of the waves reaching meters high amid fierce storms.

Search and rescue operations for 16-year-old Emir Berke Aşık and Uğurcan Korkmaz were initiated immediately on Nov. 27 by divers and the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) rescue teams.

However, the operations were halted late on Nov. 27.

The challenging search operations, hindered by weather conditions, resumed early in the morning on the second day.

Meanwhile, local media reported the last moments of the high school students standing beneath a flagpole at the edge of the port hit by waves, which were recorded by a citizen with a phone camera from an adjacent building.

Another search operation was also launched for a woman who went missing after she went to the seaside during the storm late on Nov. 27 in Rize.

The 52-year-old woman reportedly went to the shore to collect logs washed ashore by the storm and fell into the sea.

In the meantime, search efforts entered the 10th day for the crew of a ship that sank due to a strong storm in the Black Sea.

The ship named “TCG Akın,” known for its submarine rescue and wreckage removal capabilities under the Naval Forces Command, was dispatched to the region.

While the bodies of five out of the 12 crew members were recovered last week, the remaining seven sailors are still being searched for, with teams concentrating their efforts in the area where the ship sank.

AFAD earlier announced that at least two people died and 10 sustained injuries in severe storms accompanied by heavy rains that caused havoc across the country.

Floodings were reported in many parts of the country, with incidents of structural damage, roofs blowing off, toppling of trees and traffic disruptions adding to the troubles of the citizens, AFAD said.