Floods this week in Turkey’s Black Sea region have killed at least 17 people, with at least one missing, the country’s president said Thursday.

“May God have mercy on our 17 citizens who lost their lives in the flood disasters in Kastamonu, Sinop and Bartin [provinces]. I express my condolences to their relatives and our nation,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.

Erdogan said there is intensive rescue and restoration work being conducted in the region by all institutions and organizations.

“We will continue to work day and night to save our citizens stuck in flood areas, to reactivate the transportation arteries that were partially or completely closed, and to eliminate all the grievances caused by the destruction from the floods,” he added.

Late Thursday, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) confirmed in a statement that flash floods triggered by torrential rains left 15 people dead in Kastamonu and two dead in Sinop, while one person is missing in Bartin.

A total of 895 personnel in Bartin, 2,333 in Kastamonu and 1,532 in Sinop are continuing their work in the disaster areas, the statement said.

So far, 323 people in Bartin, 925 in Kastamonu and 472 in Sinop have been evacuated, it said.

Several bridges in these cities have been damaged or have collapsed due to the floods and 206 villages have been left without electricity, it added.

Rescue and relief teams have been deployed to flood-hit areas, and the search for the missing is ongoing, according to officials.

While evacuations in some areas continue, the Turkish Red Crescent is also on the scene to help people affected by the floods.

The charity said it sent two mobile kitchen trucks to the region to serve hot meals and pass out water to 10,000 people.

Search and rescue teams continued their work in the disaster area Thursday night, said Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu at a news conference after a coordination meeting held by AFAD in flood-hit Bozkurt district of Kastamonu province.

Authorities have started damage assessment studies in the region, Soylu said, adding the damage will be repaired quickly.

A humanitarian aid campaign will be launched under the coordination of AFAD for citizens who have been affected by the recent fire and flood disasters in the country, according to the Official Gazette on Thursday.