Fifteen people drowned in Turkey over the weekend as crowds flocked to water to cool off at the end of a sweltering week.
On Monday the State Meteorological Bureau forecast that temperatures will exceed 8 degrees Celsius above average seasonal temperatures this week, raising concerns over increasing numbers of deaths by drowning throughout the country.
Many people headed to coastal recreation spots for picnics with their families in order to take a break and cool off over the weekend, but some of these outings turned fatal as 15 people drowned while trying to swim in the seas, rivers or lakes across Turkey.
A father and son drowned on Sunday in İstanbul’s Sarıyer district, near the village of Garipçe. Cemal Aydoğan drowned in the Sea of Marmara and his father, Kenan Aydoğan, lost his life trying to save him.
Ramazan Kocadağ (20) and friend Ferdi Karakaya (13) ran into difficulties while swimming in the sea in the town of Kumbağ in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ, where they were on a summer vacation. Erkan Kocadağ (23) jumped into the sea in an attempt to save the pair. He managed to save his brother Ramazan but was unable to survive the
rough waves. Although Erkan Kocadağ was pulled out of the sea by rescue teams and provided urgent medical treatment by an ambulance, he lost his life. The body of Karakaya has not been located. Search and rescue teams have been working to locate the body despite difficult conditions in the water.
The same beach was the site of another drowning incident, one kilometer away from the scene of the first. Two friends, who traveled to the coast in order to cool off, drowned on Sunday. One was pulled from the water by people in the area but died soon after. The body of the second swimmer is yet to be found and a search is under way.
As Public Prosecutor Ercan Başaran conducted preliminary investigations into this drowning incident, another man was caught in rough conditions on the same beach. The man was also pulled from the water but died on land, despite medical treatment at the scene.
Engin Ay (23) drowned while swimming in the town of Silivri, west of İstanbul, on Sunday.
Two brothers — Onur Karagöz (12) and Güven Karagöz (14) — drowned while swimming in the Alibeyköy Reservoir in İstanbul’s Sultangazi district.
A further drowning incident took place in Mudanya, a district in Bursa province, on Sunday. High school students Merve Oruç and Murat Tümen drowned while swimming in the sea, seeking relief from the weekend heat.
Yunus Koçak (13) drowned in the sea in Kocaeli’s Derince district. Eyüpcan Yiğit (16) drowned in the sea in Araklı, a district of Trabzon. Bayram Akkaya (23) drowned in the Kızılırmak River in Kırıkkale on Sunday.
The number of deaths by drowning is expected to increase relative to rising air temperatures. According to the State Meteorological Bureau temperatures are expected to reach 8 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average this week upcountry and 6 degrees Celsius in other regions.
Source Todays Zaman.
