Avalanche in Turkey wipes out rescue team; 13 dead overall
Source: AP
By SUZAN FRASER
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — An avalanche slammed into a mountain road in eastern Turkey on Wednesday, wiping out a huge team of rescue workers sent to find two people missing in an earlier avalanche. Officials said eight rescue workers were killed and an estimated 15 others were buried under the snow.
Wednesday’s avalanche increased the overall death toll from the disaster to 13.
Some 300 emergency service workers were called to a highway near the mountain-surrounded town of Bahcesaray in Van province, which borders Iran, after an avalanche struck late Tuesday, killing five people. Around noon Wednesday, the team was struck by the second avalanche.
Meki Arvas, mayor of Bahcesaray, said eight rescuers’ bodies were recovered from the mass of snow on the steep slope. Emergency teams were searching for up to 15 colleagues still buried.
Read more: https://apnews.com/dbf663373d2f4a24a8b69eb0b8f23648
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This hits home. I have spent my share of time inside partially collapsed buildings including the World Trade Center, Haiti Earthquake and Hurricane Katrina. Not only that, I am the guy that has to determine whether it is "safe" to go in those structures.
Secondary collapses are what keep me up at night.
I hope they find the rest of the missing but I fear the death toll will rise.
Avalanches are a strange and wicked beast. For a little while I worked snow equipment in the high mountains along the continental divide and I had to be ever aware for such dangers. I've also lost a couple friends in avalanches.
