Turkiye wildfire death toll reaches 12, over 70 wounded
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The pro-Kurdish DEM party criticizes the government's intervention as "late and insufficient" and "not enough".
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Authorities watch the fire ablaze in Diyarbakir, Turkiye on June 21, 2024. (Anadolu Ajansi)
The death toll of the massive wildfire in Turkiye's Southeast has risen to 12 people and those wounded to more than 75, Turkish Health Minister, Fahrettin Koca, confirmed on Friday, adding that the wounded suffered smoke inhalation injuries while five patients were receiving treatment in intensive care.
The pro-Kurdish DEM party responded by criticizing the government's intervention as "late and insufficient," adding that fighting the blaze from the ground was "not enough" as it grew over the night and called on the Turkish government to send water bombers.
An AFP correspondent saw a fresh fire that started on Friday close to the village of Ergani but was quickly contained. In the village of Koksalan, an AFP reporter in Diyarbakir witnessed around 100 dead animals on the ground.
Residents relayed to AFP that almost half of their flock of approximately 1,000 sheep and goats had died.
"We don't have very clear information on how many animals have been affected," a local vet told AFPTV, adding, "But at the moment, just under half of the survivors will have to be slaughtered because they can't be saved."
Seracettin Bedirhanoglu, a member of the opposition CHP party and leader of the eastern Van province, described the images as "unbearable", urging vets to head to the area and treat wounded animals.
"They are defenceless and helpless... In every big fire, they get hurt first. I ask my veterinarian brothers and sisters: please go to the fire zone because they need you," he posted on X.
Bu görüntüler dayanılacak gibi değil.
— Seracettin Bedirhanoğlu (@bedirhanogluvan) June 21, 2024
Savunmasız ve çaresizler.
Çığlıkları söze gerek bıraktırmıyor.
Her büyük yangında önce onların canı yanıyor.
Benim veteriner hekim kardeşlerimden ricamdır.
Lütfen yangın bölgesine gidin.
Çünkü onların size ihtiyacı var.#Diyarbakır pic.twitter.com/rrOrLPXS7V
The public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation to determine what caused the fire, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed on X.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) reported that 74 wildfires had destroyed 12,910 hectares (31,900 acres) of land in Turkiye this year.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya explained that the fire broke out late Thursday in an area approximately 30 kilometers south of Diyarbakir, before spreading rapidly due to strong winds and impacting five villages including Mardin, on the border with Syria.
Diyarbakır İli Çınar ilçesi Köksalan Kırsal Mahallesinde saat 22:15’te anız ile örtü yangını olarak başlayan ve rüzgârın şiddetiyle Yazçiçeği, Bağrık ve Ağaçsever mahallelerini etkileyen yangın,
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) June 21, 2024
Mardin Mazıdağı ilçesi Yücebağ, Şenyuva ve Yetkinler mahallesi istikametine doğru…
