Three killed, five injured in rock collapse at Turkey's Cappadocia tourist site
Heavy rain triggers collapse at famous Fairy Chimneys, killing two Turks and a foreigner
Dubai: Three people, including a foreign national, were killed and five others injured after heavy rainfall triggered a rock collapse at a popular tourist site in Turkey's Cappadocia region, local authorities said.
The collapse occurred at a site known as the Fairy Chimneys in central Turkey, a major tourist destination famous for its distinctive rock formations shaped by ancient volcanic activity and erosion.
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Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek initially announced on X that two people had died and five others were injured in the incident.
“Preliminary findings indicate that two people were killed and five others injured in the incident,” he said. However, rescue teams later recovered a third body from beneath the rubble, raising the death toll to three, Nevsehir Governor Huseyin Kok said.
He confirmed that one of the victims was a foreign national, while the other two were Turkish citizens.
In a subsequent statement, Kok said search and rescue operations had been completed after emergency teams confirmed that no further intervention was required.
“All our operations have been completed. We have concluded all verification and inspection work,” he said.
“Our teams withdrew after confirming that there was no need to continue operations at this stage.”
The governor said an investigation would begin on Friday under the supervision of the public prosecutor's office, alongside technical assessments by specialised experts.
Cappadocia, one of Turkey's most popular tourist destinations, is renowned for its towering, cone-shaped rock formations known as Fairy Chimneys, which were formed through ancient volcanic activity and shaped over thousands of years by natural erosion.
