Turkish authorities on Wednesday evacuated a hospital and were searching for a missing woman after heavy rains caused massive floods and landslides in northern Turkey.
This natural disaster, which struck several regions bordering the Black Sea, came at a time when Turkey was still recovering from huge fires that killed eight people in the southern tourist region.
Pictures posted on Twitter by local authorities showed paramedics transporting patients on inflatable boats on a flooded street.
"It´s a catastrophe that we haven´t lived like in 50 or 100 years maybe, we have recorded in some places record precipitation," Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Bak Demirli said.
In Bartin County to the west, paramedics were looking for an 80-year-old woman who had been swept away by water after her home collapsed, the local government said. One person died of a heart attack in this province.
Heavy rains also caused landslides, one of which partially collapsed a bridge, according to the health minister. Eight people were taken to hospital.
In Kastamonu province, entire streets were submerged under muddy waters that washed away dozens of cars and traffic lights, according to a video clip published by the private Turkish news agency Demiroren (DHA).
Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu told the press, "The water has reached a height of three or four meters in some places, and citizens have taken refuge on the roofs of buildings."
He added, "Helicopters are heading from neighboring governorates to the affected areas."
These floods caused strong rains that began on Tuesday evening and continued through the night.
The affected areas in northern and northeastern Turkey regularly witness deadly floods.
A large number of scientists link the climatic warming caused by human activity and the increasing occurrence of severe weather events of this kind.
In recent months, Turkey has witnessed several natural disasters, especially periods of severe drought and large forest fires between late July and early August.
After the bleak series of events, political officials and government associations urged drastic measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Turkey did not ratify the Paris climate agreement in 2015.
