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Official: 10 killed in Turkish avalanche

by tikun | January 25, 2009 at 06:33 am

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This tragedy is still recent and not all of the information is available according to Turkish government sources.

An avalanche killed at least 10 people as they hiked on a mountain in northeastern Turkey on Sunday, the region's governor said.

There were conflicting reports on the number of people still unaccounted for, but Gov. Enver Salihoglu said one or two people may still be buried under the snow.

At least four people were hurt and taken to hospitals for treatment.

The hikers were part of a group of between 15 and 20 people walking on the 7,200-foot Mount Zigana, in Gumushane province, when snow crashed down on them.

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Jordan Yerman

at 07:12 on January 25th, 2009

Rescue workers pulled out at least seven people alive from under the snow at the resort in Zigana, Enver Salihoglu, the governor of Gumushane, told CNN-Turk.
At least two of the survivors were hospitalized, he said.

A documentary filmmaker, who had recently been working in the area, told CNN Turk that the temperature had been rising and that may have increased the risk for avalanches in the area.
It also may make the rescue effort more difficult because of the risk of shifting snow.

This is what happened recently in Fernie, British Columbia: would-be rescuers also became avalanche victims.