More than 44 people have been injured in the fires. Wildfires engulfed several villages in southeastern Turkey overnight on Friday.
At least five people have died and dozens more have been injured, with many in serious condition, according to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, as reported by TASR via AFP.
“Five people have died and 44 have been injured, ten of them seriously,” Koca posted on social media platform X, referring to fires that swept through two areas between the cities of Mardin and Diyarbakir.
The Turkish Health Minister added that four rescue teams and 35 ambulances were dispatched to the scene. Footage shared on social media shows a massive fire illuminating the night sky, according to AFP.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that the fire broke out late Thursday night in an area about 30 kilometers south of Diyarbakir and quickly spread due to strong winds, affecting five villages.
A forest fire also broke out on Tuesday in Turkey’s western province of Çanakkale. The spreading fire forced rescuers to evacuate a village in the Eceabat district and led to partial suspension of maritime traffic in the busy Dardanelles Strait.
