Five killed as blaze rips through settlements in southeast Turkiye

ISTANBUL — Five people died and dozens were hurt as a huge wildfire swept through several villages in the Kurdish southeastern Turkiye overnight, the health minister said Friday.

Images posted on social media showed flames raging over a large area, lighting up the night sky as vast clouds of smoke billowing into the air.

“Five people died and 44 were injured, 10 seriously,” when the blaze swept through two areas between the provinces of Diyarbakir and Mardin, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the fire started late on Thursday, when a “a stubble burn” some 30 kilometers south of Diyabakir spread quickly due to strong winds, affecting five villages.

The health minister said seven emergency teams and 35 ambulances were sent to the scene.

AN (AFP)