Death toll from Tuesday's heavy rain, flooding in northwestern Türkiye rises to 6

By Salih Baran, Ozgun Tiran and Ufuk Ertop

KIRKLARELI, Türkiye (AA) – The death toll from Tuesday’s floods following heavy rains in Türkiye’s northwestern province has risen to six after recovery of a body on Thursday.

Turkish teams have found the body of Ahmet Baki Simsek, 53, a retired teacher, who went missing in the floods in the Demirkoy district of Kirklareli province.

His body was discovered in the area where his vehicle was also located. Simsek was the final missing person sought after the heavy rains in the region.

On Tuesday, a rescue operation was launched for 16 people after floods swept through the region, and teams rescued 10 of those who were trapped in the forest area.

The bodies of Rahile Simsek and Suna Duman were found on Tuesday, while the bodies of Umit Solmaz, Selman, and Mihriban Bagislar were recovered on Wednesday.

The heavy rains also affected Türkiye’s largest city Istanbul where two people died from flash floods caused by torrential rains in the Basaksehir and Kucukcekmece districts.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul highlighted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that approximately 125 kilograms of precipitation per square meter had been recorded.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that one of the fatalities was a foreign national who was killed in Kucukcekmece. The fatality in Basaksehir was identified as a 57-year-old woman who was reportedly caught in the heavy rain while she was outdoors.