Five people have lost their lives and dozens more have been injured due to wildfires that erupted in southeastern Turkey overnight, according to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.
The fires, which spread rapidly through multiple villages near the southeastern city of Mardin, have left 44 people injured, 10 of them seriously, Koca announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
The wildfires ignited late Thursday approximately 30 kilometers south of Diyarbakir and quickly engulfed five villages in the region due to strong winds, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported. Three of the fatalities occurred in the Diyarbakir area and two in the Mardin area, Yerlikaya added.
“Five people died and 44 were injured, 10 seriously,” Koca confirmed. He also stated that emergency response teams, including four specialized units and 35 ambulances, were dispatched to the affected areas to provide medical assistance and support firefighting efforts.
Images shared on social media platforms depicted intense flames and large clouds of smoke illuminating the night sky, highlighting the scale and intensity of the blaze.
Local authorities are working to contain the fires and assess the full extent of the damage as emergency services continue their operations in the region.
