23.10.2026 18:23
The vehicle that was swept away by floodwaters in the Gebze district of Kocaeli, in which two people lost their lives, was found 6 days later in the Pendik Göçbeyli Stream. It was stated that the vehicle, which became visible after the waters receded, was approximately 3.5 kilometers away from the scene.
In the Gebze district of Kocaeli, a vehicle swept away by floodwaters was found 6 days later in the Pendik Göçbeyli Stream. The bodies of Fatih Demirtaş and Doğan Arslan, who lost their lives in the incident, had been reached during search efforts.
In the incident that occurred around 23:00 at night in Kadıllı Neighborhood of Gebze district in Kocaeli, the vehicle driven by Mustafa Deniz Ertaş was caught in floodwaters. While Ertaş survived, his friends Fatih Demirtaş and Doğan Arslan lost their lives. As a result of efforts involving Gendarmerie Search and Rescue (JAK) teams affiliated with the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command, gendarmerie, fire brigade, AFAD and other search and rescue teams, the bodies of two people were reached. The vehicle was found by citizens in the Pendik Göçbeyli Stream after the waters receded 6 days later. It was stated that the vehicle was approximately 3.5 kilometers away from the scene.
“VEHICLE EMERGED AS WATERS RECEDED”
Gebze Kadıllı Neighborhood Muhtar Ahmet Özyurt, who made statements on the matter, used the following expressions:
“Our citizens found the vehicle and reported it to us. We came. Our gendarmerie is also here. The vehicle is currently visible. About 6 days later, with the waters receding, the vehicle came to light. It is about 3.5 kilometers from the scene. The skeleton of the vehicle remains; it has no doors. We are waiting for the prosecutor. Our gendarmerie is here right now, and crime scene teams will also come. This is Göçbeyli Stream.”
Edibe Çayır, one of the residents of the area, expressed the sadness experienced and said, “The waters receded, and the vehicle was found 6 days later. May God give patience to their families.”
“A SECOND WAVE CAME WHILE THEY WERE TRYING TO ESCAPE”
Murat Yeşilyurt, the brother-in-law of Mustafa Deniz Ertaş, who survived the accident, recounted what happened that night with these words:
“First of all, I offer my condolences to the families of our friends who lost their lives. The vehicle has been found. Citizens noticed the vehicle and reported it. Now we are waiting for the prosecutor; I think procedures will be carried out to remove the vehicle. That day we had a barbecue together at the workplace. I received the news around 00:30 at night. When Deniz said they had fallen into the stream in Göçbeyli, I immediately came to the scene. Deniz was wet. The villagers had taken him into their homes and were trying to dry him.
According to what Deniz told me, about 15-20 meters before the bridge, a sudden flood wave hit the vehicle and turned it sideways. While they were trying to escape by putting it in reverse, a second wave came and dragged the vehicle into the stream. The three friends were swept along with the waters for a while. Deniz said he tried to see his friends with the light of his phone, and after plunging into the water at a point resembling a waterfall, he managed to hold on and get to the shore. When I came to the scene that night, gendarmerie and AFAD teams were in the area. There was very heavy rain and wind. Even today, I cannot hide my astonishment when I see the stream, which has almost no water in the summer months, flowing in this way.”