Turkey's floods death toll hits seven

The death toll from flooding in Turkey's Black Sea province of Giresun rose to seven, said the country's interior minister Monday.

Answering the questions of journalists in the disaster area, Suleyman Soylu said search and rescue teams are still searching for nine missing people, including two gendarmerie personnel.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), in a statement, said some 988 personnel and 288 vehicles were deployed in the rescue efforts.

According to reports, 157 people have been rescued so far. At least 12 people have been injured due to the heavy flooding.

The floodwaters demolished 17 buildings and slightly damaged 361 structures, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said at a news briefing at the scene.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said damage assessments were underway, adding farmland had suffered less damage than initially estimated.

Meanwhile, 9 million Turkish liras ($1.23 million) were sent to the region to carry out recovery and rehabilitation work.

According to the state meteorology authority, the rains, which started Saturday and caused the flood, reached 137 kilograms (302 pounds) of density per M2, affecting a number of districts.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut