Officials said that after two bodies were found on Sunday (August 1), the death toll from wildfires in southern Turkey rose to eight as more people, including tourists, were evacuated to safety.
On Sunday (August 1st), wildfires in southern Turkey forced more people to flee their homes because of increasing pressure from the government to deal with deadly forest fires.
Official data show that Turkey has suffered the worst fire in at least a decade, and nearly 95,000 hectares (235,000 acres) have been burned so far this year, while the average fire area during the same period from 2008 to 2020 was 13,516 hectares.
Health Minister Fahreddin Koka said on Twitter that two bodies were found in the town of Manavgat in Antalya Province.
According to the national news agency Anadolu, the Turkish national and a German were killed in their home destroyed by the fire.
The Minister of Health said that 864 people have been treated since the fire broke out on Wednesday.
The mayor said on Sunday that several blocks in the tourist city of Bodrum had been evacuated because strong winds in the nearby Milas district had fueled the fire.
Mayor Ahmet Aras said that more than 1,100 residents were taken to another part of Bodrum in nearly 20 boats due to the inability to evacuate people by road.
Fire in eastern Turkey
The Ministry of Defense said that with the assistance of the Navy, more residents were evacuated from the coastal city of Marmaris in Mugla Province.
According to a report by NTV Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday, people were also evacuated from Sirtkoy Village in Antalya, showing images of gray smoke covering houses.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said that 111 forest fires are now under control, while 5 fires in Antalya and Mugla resort areas are still continuing.
He added that another forest fire broke out in the eastern province of Toncelli.
After setting a record level last month, the temperature in the region will continue to remain high.
The General Bureau of Meteorology recorded a temperature of 49.1 degrees Celsius (120.3 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southeastern town of Cizre on July 20.
The temperature in Antalya is expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius on Monday.
‘unbelievable’
Satellite images released by the Ministry of Defense show the extent of the damage to the forest area that is darkened and smoke is still visible.
After a video showed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan throwing tea at residents in areas affected by the fire, the opposition attacked him on Saturday night.
Another video also showed him throwing tea at people on the side of the road from the bus.
“Tea! This is incredible. Those who lose their shame also lose their minds,” Faik Oztrak, a spokesperson for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), wrote on Twitter.
The government was also criticized for lack of firefighting aircraft, and Turkey was forced to accept the help of Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Ukraine.
“If we don’t have planes or helicopters, we have to buy them,” said Aras, the mayor of Bodrum City, the Health Protection Center, in a video shared on Twitter.
Erdogan insisted on Saturday that Turkey has “the most powerful infrastructure in the region to fight forest fires” because he promised to provide financial support to those affected.
Experts warn that if necessary measures are not taken to solve the problem, climate change will cause further damage to Turkey, causing more fires and other disasters.
According to data from the European Union, Turkey has suffered 133 wildfire attacks in 2021 so far, and between 2008 and 2020, the average number was 43 at this time.
Last month, heavy rains caused floods and landslides in northeastern Turkey, killing 6 people.
