Some 200 people evacuated due to flooding in Turkish Black Sea region
River overflows due to heavy rain in Arhavi, badly affecting roads, says Turkish disaster management agency
Teams rescue people with a boat on a flooded street after a stream overflowed due to heavy rains in Arhavi district of Artvin, Turkey on July 22, 2021. ( Muhittin Sandıkçı - Anadolu Agency )
ISTANBUL
Around 200 people have been evacuated due to flooding in Turkey’s eastern Black Sea region, the Turkish disaster management agency said.
The Arhavi River overflowed due to heavy rain, badly affecting the district center and village roads in the Artvin province, said Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
Six people trapped in the Arhavi district and nine in the Murgul district were taken to safe areas, the statement added.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that one person who was rescued from the rubble in Arhavi and taken to a hospital was in good condition.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu also came to see the flood-hit region.
There are also electricity cuts in the region. The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry reported that 3,045 subscribers were left without electricity due to floods in the neighboring provinces of Artvin and Rize. The energy of 9,650 subscribers was cut off due to security measures, the ministry said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s Search and Rescue Association (AKUT) rescued 18 people, including eight children, who were trapped in Arhavi’s Mencuna Waterfall.
At least six people died, with two people still missing, in flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain last week in the Rize province.
*Fikret Delal in Artvin contributed to this story
