Over a dozen fatalities and numerous casualties reported due to bushfire incident in Turkey
On Thursday night, a blaze engulfed a wheat field and soon engulfed five neighboring villages, thanks to powerful gusts, as per Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The incident sparked an inquiry by the public prosecutor to determine the cause of the flames, as confirmed by Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc on online platform X.
Residents of Diyarbakir province expressed their sorrow over the demise of livestock. Farmers recounted the loss of hundreds of animals, while others had to be butchered due to their wounds, according to a veterinarian from AFP news agency.
Data from the European Forest Fire Information Service (EFFIS) revealed that Turkey had experienced over 70 forest and bush fires throughout the year. The deadliest forest fires in the nation's history, which occurred in 2021, claimed nine lives and left massive destruction along the Mediterranean and Aegean coastlines. The disaster resulted in a political upheaval, as it was exposed that Turkey lacked any firefighting aircraft at the time. Furthermore, the crisis prompted the country to become the final G20 member to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement.
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The public prosecutor's office in Mardin has launched an investigation into the bushfire incident, seeking to determine the cause of the flames. The Southeast Anatolian region, including Diyarbakir, has been affected by dozens of bushfires this year, as reported by the Ministry of Interior's Fahrettin Koca. The latest incident in Turkey has resulted in at least over a dozen fatalities and numerous injuries. Government information revealed that Turkey's bushfire season has been particularly intense, with at least 70 such incidents reported throughout the year. Meanwhile, President Erdogan announced plans to strengthen Turkey's firefighting capabilities in response to the recent tragedies.
