Flood death toll rises to 15 in Turkey's quake zone

At least 15 people have died in the floods caused by torrential rains that hit the southern quake-hit provinces of Adıyaman and Şanlıurfa, causing further damage for the quake survivors staying in tents and containers.

In the quake-hit province of Adıyaman’s Tut district, one person whose container flooded out died, Mayor Süleyman Kılıç announced.

Due to heavy rain in the provinces, temporary shelters in the tent and container cities where quake survivors stay also flooded.

Some quake survivors in these regions were placed in dormitories.

Others were trying to evacuate the water that had fillet their tents, doubling the difficulty they experienced in the quake zone.

With the search and rescue efforts carried out by divers, two firefighters who missed during their efforts in the flood region were rescued.

One of the dead was a one-and-a-half-year-old child, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu stated.

In an area of 25 kilometers, 10 teams consisting of 163 people, including divers, continue to conduct search and rescue operations, Soylu noted.

The Turkish State Meteorological Service published its weather forecast report for March 14-20, issuing an “orange alert” for the southern region, which has already experienced difficult days due to the deadly earthquakes.

The provinces of Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Malatya, Kahramanmaraş, Mardin, Sivas, Şanlıurfa, and Kilis were among the areas issued an “orange alert” for a possible heavy downpour.

The flood came about 40 days after the Feb. 6 earthquakes, which claimed the lives of more than 48,000 people and left thousands of others homeless.

hurriyetdailynews.com