14 killed as floods hit earthquake-affected Turkiye

Ankara: At least 14 people have been killed after torrential rains triggered flash floods in Turkiye's southeastern Sanliurfa and Adiyaman provinces, the state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

Floodwater carried away cars and debris and inundated the basement and ground floors of some buildings, turning roads into rivers in central Sanliurfa, footage from social media and local broadcasters showed.

Search and rescue efforts for the missing and people trapped in their buildings continued with divers and boats, the country's disaster management authority (AFAD) said.

It said that more than 100 millimeters per square meter of rain had fallen in the affected provinces in the last 24 hours.

The provinces, home to some 2.7 million people, were hit by last month's earthquakes which killed more than 48,000 people in Turkey and left millions homeless.

Thousands of people were staying in tents and container houses, some of which were flooded due to severe rain, after their homes were damaged by the earthquakes.

A container, which housed three earthquake victims, drifted away with the floods and a search was continuing for them in Adiyaman, the province's governor told broadcaster CNN Turk.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives due to flood caused by torrential rains in Turkiye.   

In a statement, the Prime Minister expressed solidarity with the government and people of Turkiye.

He said: “The government and people of Pakistan stand with the government and people of Turkiye in these testing times and will help Turkiye in all possible ways”.

Shehbaz Sharif also expressed sympathy and condolence with the families of those who died in the floods and prayed for high ranks of the deceased in the heaven and patience to the family to bear this loss.

SOURCE: REUTERS