Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Monday that a storm, excessive rainfall and flooding have resulted in the loss of lives in the provinces of Zonguldak, Batman and Diyarbakır, with a total of nine citizens confirmed dead nationwide.

Yerlikaya, speaking at the coast where a Cameroonian-flagged ship, which had split in two due to Sunday’s storm in the Karadeniz Ereğli district of Zonguldak, washed ashore, stated that the wind speed in the region had occasionally exceeded 70 knots, with wave heights reaching 8-9 meters (26-30 feet) high.

Due to adverse weather and sea conditions in the region, Yerlikaya reiterated that the Turkish-flagged dry cargo ship Kafkametler, which had departed from the port to go to Izmir, drifted and sank after hitting the breakwater. He reported that the lifeless body of one of the 12 Turkish crew members on board was recovered in the morning.

The minister further informed that the Cameroonian-flagged cargo ship Pallada, anchored at the port, also drifted and ran aground, and its 13 crew members were rescued by firefighting teams. Additionally, the cargo ship SORMOVSKIY 45, also flying the Cameroonian flag, was towed by the port tugboat after its rope broke, ensuring the safety of its 12 crew members.

Search and rescue

Yerlikaya stated that search and rescue operations for the 11 missing crew members from the ship Kafkametler began early this morning with the improvement of weather conditions. He said: "Since the ship sank, continuous ground scanning and observation have been carried out. In fact, with this scanning and observation, we found and identified one crew member."

He provided information that 797 personnel are participating in search and rescue operations, utilizing 295 vehicles, two planes, one helicopter and patrol boats intensively, within the limits permitted by the weather. He expressed hope for reaching the missing 11 crew members as soon as possible.

Helicopters started their activities at 8:55 a.m., and the two planes began reconnaissance and observation work at 10 a.m., according to Yerlikaya. He added: "In the early hours of the morning, the wind speed was lower. When we came here, the wind speed was unfortunately between 15 and 20 knots. Currently, the wave heights are 3-4 meters, but despite this, our colleagues are continuing their activities with great effort."

Casualties and damage

Yerlikaya reported that besides the three people who lost their lives in Ereğli, one died in Batman and four in the Hani district of Diyarbakır due to the storm, flooding and excessive rainfall. He expressed condolences, saying, "May they rest in peace, and my condolences to their precious relatives and our nation."

Regarding the damage, Yerlikaya mentioned that 57 school roofs were blown off in Zonguldak due to the storm. He stated: "For these and other expenses, we have allocated TL 50 million ($1.74 million) from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) to the discretion of our governor and Provincial Special Administration. We have consulted with our minister of national education, minister of energy, minister of transport and infrastructure, and also minister of environment, urbanization and climate change."

Yerlikaya shared that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is closely monitoring the developments and providing instructions. He noted that they have started roof repair work in Ereğli, where 43 homes and businesses lost their roofs. The damage is being assessed by the Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.

Acknowledging the challenging weather conditions, Yerlikaya thanked the officials who have shown exceptional efforts since the beginning of the incident. He mentioned that the body of the deceased sailor was found approximately 600 meters from the military breakwater and explained the preliminary information about the ship's collision with the breakwater.

Yerlikaya concluded by stating that the exact location of the sunken ship will be determined when weather conditions return to normal, emphasizing the ongoing efforts to evaluate damage and provide support payments to citizens.