Avalanche accident near Bahçesaray

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The avalanche accident near Bahçesaray on February 4 and 5, 2020 near the town of Bahçesaray in the eastern Turkish province of Van caused avalanches that killed 41 people.

Course of events

On the evening of February 4, 2020 there was an avalanche on a mountain pass near Bahçesaray . As a result, a snow clearing vehicle and a minibus had an accident. Five people were killed and two more were reported missing; seven other occupants and the driver survived. The civil protection authority Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı (AFAD) started a large-scale operation. During the ongoing operation, in which several hundred helpers were involved, another avalanche went off the next day, killing at least 33 people. 84 people were injured, six of them seriously.

reporting

Van Province Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said the first death toll of 38 included eight military policemen, three government-paid village guards , three firefighters and nine volunteers. Officials later announced that a total of 53 people were injured and an unknown number were buried under the snow. Heavy snow, fog and strong winds slowed down rescue efforts. Because of the heavy snowfall, roads to 114 locations in Van were closed.

On February 6, AFAD officials announced that the death toll had risen to 41 and that a total of 180 workers were searching for the bodies of at least three missing people while setting off controlled explosions to reduce the risk of further avalanches. In anticipation of communication interruptions, two mobile base stations were set up. The number of injuries had risen to 84, of whom 47 were hospitalized, including six in intensive care.

On the same day, a memorial service was held in the city of Van for eleven military police, nine village guards and two firefighters who were killed in the disaster.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Avalanche in Turkey wipes out rescue team; 41 dead overall (English) , Associated Press . 5th February 2020. 
  2. ↑ Van'da çığ altındakileri arayan ekiplerin üzerine çığ düştü (Turkish) , Anadolu Ajansı . 5th February 2020. 
  3. ↑ a b Avalanche in Turkey kills rescuers who were searching for survivors of previous avalanche (English) , CNN . February 5th. Retrieved February 5, 2020. 
  4. ↑ Hopes dim for missing after avalanche death toll rises to 41 in Turkey. . In: dailysabah.com . February 4, 2020. Accessed February 7, 2020.
  5. ↑ Van'da meydana gelen iki çığ felaketinde 41 kişi hayatını kaybetti (Turkish) . In: Habertürk , February 6, 2020. 
  6. ↑ Death toll rises to at least 41 after twin avalanches in Turkey. . In: cnn.com . February 6, 2020.
  7. ↑ a b Death toll in Turkey avalanche disaster rises to 41 (English) . February 6, 2020. Accessed February 7, 2020. 
  8. ↑ a b Number of dead rises from Turkey double avalanche disaster. . In: euronews.com . February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.