Death toll in northeastern Turkey floods hits 10

GIRESUN, Turkey

The death toll from flooding in Turkey's Black Sea province of Giresun has risen to 10, the country's interior minister said on Sunday.

Rescue teams are still searching for five missing people, Suleyman Soylu told reporters during a visit to the disaster area.

Some 988 personnel and 288 vehicles have bene involved in rescue efforts, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in a statement earlier.

According to reports, 157 people have been rescued so far, with at least 12 of them found in injured condition.

At least 17 buildings have been destroyed and 361 more structures slightly damaged in the flooding, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum told reporters.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said earlier that damage assessments were ongoing, adding that farmlands seemed to have suffered less damage than initially estimated.

Around 9 million Turkish liras ($1.23 million) have been utilized for recovery and rehabilitation work in the region.

* Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara