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Downpours, colder temperatures grip Turkey
The turn in the weather has caused considerable damage in some cities and even casualties. On Sunday, three died while 14 others were seriously injured in a car crash in the city of Mersin. Authorities say the accident was caused by excessive rain and dangerously slippery roads.
Two people were found dead on Saturday due to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by exhaust from a coal-burning heater inside their home. The dead were identified as Adil Dalkıran (53) and Fatma Dalkıran (46). The couple was discovered lying motionless in the living room by their son Fatih Dalkıran (23), who had returned home from his night shift at a textile factory.
The first snow in Uludağ, a popular ski-resort in the city of Bursa, also fell on Sunday. The snow had reached a depth of 20 centimeters by noon, with meteorology officials saying they expected the snowfall to continue throughout the day.
In Mardin’s Midyat district, basements in 13 homes and a hospital morgue were flooded. Municipal teams were working to help the flood victims, including the city’s deputy mayor, Metin Kutlu. Although there were no casualties in Midyat, the victims requested state aid, as most people keep their food for the winter -- such as grains and pickled foods -- in their basements.
On Saturday, residents of İstanbul, Trabzon, Giresun, Şanlıurfa, Kocaeli, Tekirdağ and Bingöl experienced weather-induced challenges on the roads due to uninterrupted torrential downpours, while snowfall in Erzurum caused trouble for drivers. A plane operated by Sun Express flying to Erzurum from İzmir had to return as the runway was rendered impossible to land on by a heavy snowfall.
There was also snow on Saturday in higher altitudes in Kars, Erzincan and Ardahan. Temperatures were between 4 and 10 degrees Centigrade. In İstanbul, heavy rains took hold of the city throughout Saturday, causing flooding in some parts, particularly on the Anatolian side, most notably in the Sancaktepe, Pendik and Kartal districts. A part of the E-5 highway in the Kartal Cevizli area was briefly closed to traffic.
The northern city of Trabzon was also badly affected by heavy rains, with 70 businesses reporting flood damage. People stranded in the market area of Kadınlar Pazarı by floodwaters were rescued by municipal workers. There were no casualties in Trabzon. The facilities of the city’s soccer club, Trabzonspor, were also flooded, with two training halls and one locker room being declared unusable. Officials here also reported damage to the cafeteria, kitchen and storage rooms.
In Giresun, the Tabaklar River overflowed its banks due to two days of incessant downpours. Alpaslan Street and roads leading to the Bulancak crossroads were closed to traffic.
In Şanlıurfa, a family of five was stranded in their house next to a creek due to heavy rain. State civilian defense teams rescued the family. Hundreds of homes and businesses were also flooded in Urfa on Saturday. A cemetery in the city’s Bozova district was inundated with floodwaters from a nearby river, dislodging two bodies from their graves. The bodies were reburied by local villagers; however, dozens of graves and headstones were badly damaged by the water. Nearly 70 houses, businesses and stables were damaged in Şanlıurfa on Saturday because of flooding.
Floods also caused damage to homes and businesses in Kocaeli’s Kandıra district, as well as in the Saray district of Tekirdağ. Although winter now seems to have arrived, meteorology authorities say that temperatures are expected to go back up to seasonal norms by midweek.
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