19.10.2026 10:44
With the discovery of the lifeless bodies of two more people who went missing in the flood in Istanbul and Kocaeli, the number of those who lost their lives in the disaster has risen to 8.
Following the severe torrential rains that were effective in the Gebze district of Kocaeli and across Istanbul, tragic news came one after another in the flood disaster that occurred. With the discovery of the lifeless bodies of two people who disappeared in a vehicle swept away by stream waters in Kocaeli and one person being searched for in Istanbul, the total death toll in the region rose to 8.
SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS WERE MOBILIZED
In Kadılla Neighborhood of Gebze district in Kocaeli, one of three people in a vehicle that was caught in floodwaters and swept away managed to save himself by his own means. A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched in the region for the other two people in the vehicle who were caught in the current and disappeared. The efforts, joined by Kocaeli and Istanbul Pendik gendarmerie teams, fire brigade, medical teams, AFAD, and underwater search teams, were concentrated around Pendik Göçbeyli village.
THEIR LIFELESS BODIES WERE FOUND
As a result of the search efforts carried out by the teams under difficult terrain conditions, the lifeless body of 32-year-old Fatih Demirtaş was first reached around noon. In the searches that had continued without interruption since daytime yesterday, the lifeless body of the other missing person, Doğan Arslan, was found in the morning hours in an area near the stream bank in Göçbeyli village.
DEATH TOLL ROSE TO 8
In addition to the tragic losses in Kocaeli, tragic news also came from the search efforts carried out in Istanbul. It was reported that the lifeless body of Haşim Ciritlioğlu, who was being searched for as missing after the flood in Istanbul, had also been found. In a statement made by the Governorship in the morning hours, it was stated that Ciritlioğlu's body was found near the Ayvansaray Ferry Pier. With the latest findings, the number of people who lost their lives due to the flood disaster across Istanbul and Kocaeli rose to 8.