Turkey: Deadly floods in earthquake zone

At least 13 people died on Wednesday in floods that hit two provinces in southeastern Turkey already hit by the devastating February 6 earthquake, exacerbating the distress of survivors.

Eleven lives were lost in the city of Sanliurfa, including five Syrian citizens found dead in the basement of a building, and two others missing, according to the official Turkish news agency Anadolu.

Two others have died and several others are currently wanted in neighboring Adiyaman province, which has been hit by heavy rains following widespread destruction in the quake.

At least one of the victims was inside a container that had been converted into emergency housing when she became trapped in the water.

Nearly two million earthquake survivors have been temporarily housed in tent and container villages in Turkey’s eleven earthquake-prone provinces.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the second victim in Adıyaman province was a one-and-a-half-year-old child.

He said that more than 160 rescuers and divers have been dispatched to the area.

Torrential rain also hit the ground floor of one of the province’s main hospitals, including an intensive care unit, according to Sanliurfa’s ruling and images broadcast by private channel NTV, forcing doctors to move patients. It was lying

– “Restore the destroyed cities” –

Pictures taken on Wednesday showed roads in Sanliurfa, a large town 50 kilometers from the Syrian border, turned into a brown torrent carrying cars and trucks.

A video filmed in Adyaman’s neighboring Malatya province also showed rising water levels around white tents where earthquake survivors are taking refuge.

According to the latest reports from the authorities, the February 6 earthquake killed about 48,500 people and affected 13.5 million people, or about one-sixth of Turkey’s population.

In his campaign for re-election on May 14, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who on Sunday was again in the quake zone he frequently visits, pledged on Wednesday to build 650,000 homes in the affected provinces as soon as possible. Did. Earthquake

In a speech to his party’s lawmakers, he said, “In addition to the relief operations, emergency aid and temporary shelters we have provided so far, we promise our country to restore the cities destroyed by the earthquake within a year.” Are.” after the disaster.