Many injured and three dead – that is the devastating result of the severe fires in the Turkish holiday region of Antalya.
Istanbul – Several people died in the course of the fires on the Turkish Mediterranean coast and in other regions.
In the fire in the Antalya region, three people were killed and 122 injured, 58 people are being treated, reported the state news agency Anadolu, citing the disaster control agency Afad. There were other fires in the regions of Mersin and Alanya, among others.
The state television broadcaster TRT reported that hotels in the Mediterranean city of Marmaris were also evacuated after a fire broke out near the city.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, a total of 41 forest fires broke out in 13 provinces of the country, most of which were extinguished, said Bekir Pakdemirli, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, via Twitter. The work continued on Thursday. According to Pakdemirli, 29 helicopters and more than 1,800 rescue workers were in action.
In some cases, strong winds had reportedly driven the rapid spread of the fires, and several places had to be evacuated. dpa
