Two killed in İzmir floods
İZMİR
At least two people have died after a light commercial vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in the western province of İzmir.
Due to heavy rainfall, a stream in the province of İzmir’s Menderes district overflowed on Dec. 13, and the vehicle carrying five people started drifting away as it attempted to cross the stream.
While three of them were able to save themselves, two went missing in floodwaters.
Rescue teams started a search late on Dec. 13 but had to suspend the rescue operation due to unfavorable weather conditions.
The rescue teams resumed their search again yesterday morning and found the bodies of the two people who went missing in the floods.
Teams from the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) found the body of one of the missing persons some three kilometers away and the other victim’s body four kilometers away from the scene.
“Heavy rains started on Dec. 13 that caused flooding in parts of the city. The people attempting to cross the stream violated the weekend curfew,” İzmir Governor Yavuz Selim Köşger said.
Authorities have started works to determine the damage caused due to heavy rainfall in İzmir, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said.
Earlier in October, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit İzmir, the country’s third-largest city, killing more than 115 people.
