Fourth body recovered in Kyrenia

The body of 18-year-old Gaye Soyutok, who died with three others during heavy flooding in Kyrenia, has been recovered by Turkish Cypriot authorities in the north.

Soyutok, aged 18, was initially presumed missing following an accident on Wednesday night, when a car with four people was washed away by flood waters some 200 metres and fell into a ditch.

The three other victims in the accident, who had been recovered earlier, were identified as 18-year-old Gunay Kandaz, 21-year-old Tolga Bekci, and 23-year-old Ahmet Kilic.

A three-day large-scale search and rescue operation to locate the missing woman quickly turned into a recovery operation by Friday, with reports of search dogs joining in to sift through the mud and debris.

Torrential rain that affected the island in the early part of the week was a contributing factor in the incident, with rapid flooding being recorded in the Ciklos area where the accident took place.

The impact of storm was unprecedented in many areas in the north as well as in the south, with countless road network floods and hundreds of emergency calls made by private citizens. Weather warnings had gone into effect but expired before the week was out, with skies clearing over the weekend.

The tragedy sparked public debate among Turkish Cypriots, with private citizens and officials joining in the discussion on who is to blame for the lack of proper irrigation. In the south, people criticised officials of not giving timely warnings, with the Meteorology department admitting the error on live television.