In February 2020, two

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

s occurred near Bahçesaray in Turkey's eastern

Van Province Van Province (, , Armenian: Վանի մարզ) is a province and metropolitan municipality in the Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. Its area is 20,921 km2, and its population is 1,128,749 (2022). ...

. The first, on 4 February, buried two vehicles, leading to a rescue operation involving around 350 people. The second, on 5 February, occurred while this operation was ongoing. At least 41 people were killed in the two avalanches, with 84 others being injured, six seriously.

Avalanches

On the evening of 4 February 2020, an

took place in a mountain pass in the Bahçesaray district, leaving a snow-clearing vehicle and a minibus buried. Five people were killed and two others were reported missing, while seven passengers and the vehicle's operator managed to escape. In response, a major rescue operation was launched, involving 350 personnel from Turkey's

Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (, also abbreviated as AFAD),
''reviewed in 10.11.2011'' also ...

(AFAD) and National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE), in addition to 75 Gendarmerie Search and Rescue Battalion Command staff. While the team was on-site, a second avalanche struck around noon on 5 February, overturning vehicles and leaving at least 33 people dead.

Aftermath

The governor of Van Province, Mehmet Emin Bilmez, said that the initial death toll of 38 included one

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

, 10 specialized sergeants, 11

gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

soldiers, three village guards, three firefighters and 9 volunteers. Officials later announced that 53 people were injured in total, and an unknown number remained buried under the snow. Heavy snow, fog and strong winds were slowing down the rescue efforts, with more than 114 locations being cut off due to impassable roads. On 6 February, AFAD officials announced that the death toll had increased to 41, and a total of 180 personnel were searching for the bodies of at least three people still missing, while setting off controlled explosions to lessen the risk of further avalanches. In anticipation of interruptions to communication, two mobile base stations were provided. The number of injured had risen to 84, 47 of whom remained hospitalized, including six in intensive care. A memorial ceremony was held in

Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or ...

on 6 February for 23 Gendarmerie General Command staff, nine village guards and two firefighters who were killed in the disaster. The coffins of the deceased were then sent to their various hometowns for burial. On 7 February the Turkish Interior Ministry assigned a team of three inspectors to "inquire and investigate every aspect of the two avalanche incidents". Warnings were issued by the

Turkish State Meteorological Service Turkish State Meteorological Service () is the Turkish government bureau commissioned with producing the meteorological and climatic data pertaining to Turkey. It is responsible to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. History The first m ...

following heavy snowfall on 9 February, which halted travel in the eastern Black Sea region. The

Daily Sabah The ''Daily Sabah'' () is a Turkish pro-government daily newspaper published in Turkey. Available in English and owned by Turkuvaz Media Group, ''Daily Sabah'' published its first issue on 24 February 2014. Since 2018, the editor-in-chief is � ...

reported that overnight on 9–10 February temperatures in

Göle Göle (; ka, კოლა, tr; ) is a small city in Ardahan Province of Turkey. The city was formerly known as ''Merdenik'', ''Merdinik'' or ''Ardahan-ı Küçük'' ("Little Ardahan" in Ottoman Turkish). It is the seat of Göle District.

dropped to around , a record low for the year; Göle was also the coldest place in Turkey in 2019 at .

References

{{Reflist 2020 disasters in Turkey 2020 natural disasters

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Avalanches in Asia Natural disasters in Turkey February 2020 in Turkey History of Van Province Mountaineering disasters

Avalanches

Aftermath

See also

References