Locals and rescue teams try to rescue people trapped under avalanche in Bahcesaray in the Kurdish Van province, Turkey Kurdistan, February 5, 2020. Photo: ANF
VAN, Turkey Kurdistan,— At least 23 people were killed on Wednesday in Turkish Kurdistan, the Kurdish region in eastern Turkey, when they were struck by a second avalanche as emergency crews worked to rescue victims buried in the snow from a separate avalanche the night before, Turkey’s Interior Minister has said.
Another 15 people were believed to be trapped in the snow, said Meki Arvas, mayor of a Bahcesaray in the eastern Kurdish province of Van in Bakur Kurdistan. Emergency teams were searching for their colleagues, of whom are members of Turkey’s state disaster response agency and its medical rescue team.
Heavy snow, fog and strong winds were hindering the rescue operation.
Arvas was quoted by broadcaster NTV as saying a rescue team of 300 people had been working to rescue those trapped from the avalanche that swept through the area on Tuesday night, killing five people.
An avalanche occurred in the evening hours in the area of Upper Narl?ca between Bahçesaray and Çatak districts of the Van province, ANF Firat news agency reported.
A minibus, a taxi and a construction machine were buried by the snow masses. A total of 18 people are missing, ANF said.
Second deadly avalanche kills rescuers reaching victims
Turkish soldiers and locals try to rescue people trapped under avalanche in Bahcesaray in the Kurdish Van province, Turkey Kurdistan, February 5, 2020. Photo: IHA via Reuters
Around noon Wednesday, the rescue team was hit by the second avalanche, bringing the death toll to 28 overall.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said 30 people had been rescued from the steep slope and were hospitalized Wednesday. No further information on their health status were provided.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters that 11 rescuers’ bodies were retrieved from the snow. The victims included eight military police officers and three village guards, who are supported by the government. Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said a firefighter was also killed.
A video from the scene showed at least three overturned vehicles at the base of a hill during a snowstorm, the Associated Press reported. Some rescue workers were scrambling up a steep incline to escape the mass of snow while other rescuers attempted to combat the snow with shovels and pick-axes.
The first avalanche buried a snow-clearing vehicle as well as a minibus but the operator and all passengers managed to escape alive.
According to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, the operator of the snow-clearing vehicle, Bahattin Karagulle, was trapped under the snow mass for 25 minutes before he managed to break a window and ask for a help at a nearby village.
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