Death toll from Turkey's flash floods rises to 74

Ankara : At least 74 people died and 47 others went missing in severe floods and mudslides in the Black Sea region of Turkey, the country's disaster agency said on Monday.

Floods caused by heavy rain hit the Black Sea region in the north of the country on August 11, leaving 62 dead in the province of Kastamonu. Eleven people died in the Sinop province and one in the Bartin province. A total of 1,480 people from Kastamonu, 560 from Sinop and 341 others from Bartin were evacuated to safe areas, the agency added.

The Turkish defence ministry sent two ships to evacuate the disaster victims and vehicles from Sinop province.

Torrential rains caused flooding that demolished homes, collapsed bridges, swept away cars and cut power supplies in the region.