Flood deaths reach eight in Istanbul and Kocaeli

ISTANBUL

AA photo.

Rescuers recovered two more bodies on Oct. 19 after floods in Istanbul and the northwestern province of Kocaeli, raising the combined death toll to eight as teams continued searching for one missing person in Istanbul.

Haşim Ciritlioğlu’s body was found near Istanbul’s Ayvansaray ferry pier around 7:30 a.m., bringing the city’s toll to six. Security footage showed him leaving his Seyrantepe workplace.

In Kocaeli’s Gebze district, an SUV carrying three friends was swept into a stream as they returned to Istanbul from a summer house. Driver Mustafa Deniz Ertaş escaped and clung to a tree branch. Fatih Demirtaş’s body was found on Oct. 18 and Doğan Arslan’s on Oct. 19 in Büyükdere stream in Istanbul’s Pendik district, 3 and 6 kilometers from the incident site, respectively.

Meanwhile, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said damage assessments were nearly complete in Sarıyer’s Ayazağa neighborhood. One building remained to be demolished to clear the way for a stream rehabilitation project by Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ).

Gül said the buildings stood on a streambed, lacked deeds and permits and were not earthquake-resistant. Demolitions cover 19 shops, two homes, a Quran school, a stadium and grandstands. Work to rehabilitate the stream has begun at its forested section, Gül said.

The Urban Transformation Presidency opened a local office to assist residents. They can rebuild independently, through contractors or through the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), Gül said.