Death Toll From Turkey Floods Rises to 78
The search for additional victims is ongoing as the Turkish government faces heavy criticism for its response to natural disasters.
After battling raging wildfires in the south, Turkey is now reeling back from the massive flash floods which have swept its Black Sea region.
In the aftermath of the floods, 78 people were found dead as the search continues for others missing. The province of Kastamonu was the most severely impacted, followed by Sinop and Bartin, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD).
In addition to human casualties, infrastructural damage has been quite heavy with the collapse of several buildings and the smashing of several bridges giving the provinces an apocalyptic air. Power supplies were mostly cut and wrecked cars filled the clogged streets of Kastamonu.
The floods, elicited by torrential rain, left as many as 330 villages without electricity and forced 2,400 people to evacuate.
Despite the fact that mountainous areas along Turkey’s Black Sea coast are susceptible to flooding during the summer, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu described the natural disaster as “the worst flood disaster” he has ever seen, during his visit to the area.
Soylu’s comment comes after a UN report was published recently warning of the rapid increase in global warming’s impact and its dangerous consequences, inciting nations to take immediate measures to halt the imminent catastrophe.
Repost from @geology_site
— BugOutHive (@BugOutHive) August 19, 2021
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🔹In northern Turkey after flash floods along the Black Sea coast killed at least 70 people 😢 August11-15, 2021
📽️ @mrtzrrr#turkey #flood #disaster pic.twitter.com/TI4rNBRfsw
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while attending the funeral of some victims, said: “We can't bring back the citizens we lost, but our state has the means and power to compensate those who lost loved ones,” a message that was not welcomed by all, as his government’s policy in dealing with natural disasters was highly criticized.
Turkey remains one of the few countries not to officially join the Paris Agreement, showcasing a lack of commitment towards fighting the prominent man-induced causes of climate change.
Last week, a Russian firefighting plane sent to Turkey in order to combat the ravaging wildfires crashed, killing all 8 passengers and leaving no survivors. It is one of the latest displays of failure in controlling wildfires spreading across various regions of the world such as in Greece, Algeria, Italy, Spain, and the US.