VIDEO: Two die, eight injured after flash flood in touristic canyon in Muğla

Two people died and eight were injured July 20 after being trapped inside the Saklıkent Canyon in the southwestern province of Muğla due to intense flooding, with the mayor describing the deaths as “fate.”

Some 46 tourists visiting the canyon on July 20 when they were caught by a sudden torrential rain. One of the tourists, later identified as Ozan Genç, was killed after being smashed into rocks by the force of the flood waters that inundated the canyon. A witness said Genç was experiencing heart failure when he was pulled from the water and died at hospital even though medics had initially succeeded in resuscitating him.

The body of Ömer Özcan, who went missing after drifting in the waters, was found early July 21, officials said.  

Eight tourists who jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue Genç were eventually rescued and transferred to hospital.  

The mayor of the Seydikemer district, where the canyon is located, said such flooding was rare in the region during the summer.

“A flood in this season is unseen. Something similar happened some 15 years ago. It’s God’s fate,” ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Mayor Yakup Otgöz said.

Meanwhile, the district governor vowed to dispatch a permanent medical team to the canyon during the summer time.