Many Homes, Businesses, and Vehicles Were Damaged As Streams Overflowed in Türkiye

Heavy rain that hit Giresun, Turkey, last Thursday night has left an uncle and his nephew missing, with around 1,000 personnel now searching for them. More than 100 kilograms of rain fell per square meter, causing floods and overflows in the Keşap, Espiye, and Yağlıdere districts. Many homes, businesses, and vehicles were damaged as streams overflowed.

In Keşap, Ahmet Yılmaz (50) managed to save himself from a vehicle that was swept away by the flood while traveling. However, Mehmet Akkaya (45) and his nephew Muhammed Abdullah Hakkıoğlu (16) disappeared. The car, dragged for kilometers in the water, was found in Keşap Deresi (Keşap Stream), but no trace of the uncle and nephew was found in the wreckage.

Akkaya, a computer and instructional technologies teacher at Sayca İmam Hatip Secondary School, and his nephew, a 12th-grade student, are the subjects of the search that resumed early yesterday morning. Search efforts involve teams from AFAD and its volunteers, Police Search and Rescue (PAK), Gendarmerie Search and Rescue (JAK), UMKE, İHH Search and Rescue, AKUT, ATAK, fire departments, underwater search and rescue units, the Provincial Special Administration, and the municipality—totaling about 1,000 personnel. Teams are conducting checks along an 8-kilometer stretch of the stream route using poles and intensifying efforts with thermal drone devices.

Giresun Governor Mustafa Koç said, Considering the severity of the flood, I can say we got off lightly. With all our search teams—about 400 vehicles and nearly 1,000 personnel—our search-rescue and infrastructure work continues. Koç added that damage assessment studies have identified 26 million lira in losses.