At least 23 people died this Wednesday in an avalanche that hit several dozen rescuers sent after a first avalanche the day before, in the same location in eastern Turkey, which killed five people.
Quoted by the state news agency Anadolu, the governor of Van province, where the catastrophe occurred, indicated that the bodies of 14 members of the rescue teams and nine civilians were found. According to the same source, about 30 people were found alive and hospitalized.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Coca has warned that this balance may increase, after a first balance indicates eight dead rescuers, a number that has increased over the morning. The number of people still buried is unknown.
Today’s victims were at the scene to find survivors of an avalanche on Tuesday, which buried a minibus. Five people died and eight were injured in this first avalanche, which left two missing.
After the incident, several dozen police, firefighters and first responders from the government’s disaster response agency (AFAD), supported by inhabitants of neighboring villages, moved to the scene.
Searches were interrupted overnight as a security measure and resumed this morning and the new avalanche occurred around noon (9 am in Lisbon).
The avalanches took place in the Bahçesaray district of eastern Turkey near the Iran border, which is difficult to access and has a severe winter.
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