A Coast Guard helicopter rescues a man stranded on a rooftop in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP) Expand

Close

A Coast Guard helicopter rescues a man stranded on a rooftop in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP)

A Coast Guard helicopter rescues a man stranded on a rooftop in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP)

A Coast Guard helicopter rescues a man stranded on a rooftop in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP)

Severe floods and mudslides triggered by torrential rain in northern Turkey have left at least six people dead and another person missing, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said on Thursday.

The floods battered the Black Sea coastal provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu, Sinop and Samsun on Wednesday, demolishing homes and bridges and sweeping away cars. Helicopters scrambled to rescue people stranded on rooftops.

Close

A rescue worker holds a kitten she saved from a building in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP)

A rescue worker holds a kitten she saved from a building in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP)

A rescue worker holds a kitten she saved from a building in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP)

The disaster struck as firefighters in south-west Turkey worked to extinguish a wildfire in Mugla province, an area popular with tourists that runs along the Aegean Sea.

The blaze, which was brought under control on Thursday, was one of more than 200 wildfires in Turkey since July 28. At least eight people and countless animals died and thousands of residents have had to flee fierce blazes.

As floodwaters began to recede across the affected regions in Turkey’s north, a statement from the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD, said rescuers had recovered six bodies in Kastamonu and were still searching for one missing person in Bartin.

It was not immediately clear if they expected to find more bodies in swamped homes or vehicles.

The worst-hit area appeared to be in Kastamonu, where flooding inundated much of the town of Bozkurt. One building collapsed and a second building was damaged in the town, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Close

A man looks on as floodwaters sweep by in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP)

A man looks on as floodwaters sweep by in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP)

A man looks on as floodwaters sweep by in Bozkurt, Turkey (IHA via AP)

In Bartin province, at least 13 people were injured when a section of a bridge caved in.

Daily Digest Newsletter

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan's exclusive take on the day's news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.

This field is required

Turkish Armed Forces’ helicopters lifted 80 people to safety in the region, the military said.

Many of the affected areas were left without power and village roads were blocked.

Turkey’s Black Sea region is frequently struck by severe rains and flash flooding.

Climate scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving more extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms.