The death toll from the severe floods and mudslides that struck the central Black Sea region of Turkey has risen to 17 and one more person is still reported missing, authorities said later Thursday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.
Heavy rainfall late Tuesday had caused floods and landslides in an area spanning from Bartin in the west to Sinop in the east of the region prone to floods due to its climate. Rainfall sporadically continued on Wednesday and Thursday. Search and rescue crews were deployed in areas affected by floods, evacuating people stranded in their houses and cars.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to the families of 17 citizens who lost their lives in the floods.
"We are carrying out intensive work with all our institutions and organizations in the areas where the flood is effective," Erdogan said on Twitter later Thursday.
As floodwaters began to recede across the affected regions, a statement from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said rescuers had recovered six bodies in Kastamonu.
Later Thursday, nine more bodies were found in the worst-hit town of Bozkurt, in Kastamonu, and two bodies were found in Sinop.