Major flooding hits Ankara amid extreme rainfall

An extreme rainfall event caused severe flooding in Ankara, Turkey on May 30, 2023, leading to substantial property damage and disruption of daily life. The floods were particularly severe in the Keçiören district of the capital, while the southern province of Antalya and the eastern provinces of Elazığ and Muş also reported significant damage.

An extreme rainfall event on May 30 caused major flooding and substantial property damage in several provinces in Turkey, disrupting daily activities. The downpours were particularly disruptive in the country’s capital, Ankara, where hail and rainfall in the Keçiören district resulted in widespread flooding, with numerous streets, houses, and workplaces being inundated.

Juxtaposed with everyday life, vehicles were seen submerged in rainwater, bringing transportation in the city to a halt. According to Turgut Altınok, the mayor of Keçiören, blocked storm drains significantly contributed to the severity of the flooding. He emphasized that the responsibility of evacuating floodwaters fell upon the Ankara Municipality, and claimed that the municipality teams had not adequately performed their duty.

Apart from the capital, the extreme weather event also wreaked havoc in other parts of the country. In the southern province of Antalya and the eastern provinces of Elazığ and Muş, the torrential rains caused substantial damage. Particularly in the province of Muş, a total of five vehicles, 35 houses, and numerous barns suffered damage. In addition, the flooding caused a bridge in Kırköy to collapse due to a stream overflow.

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