A man and his two young daughters were killed and their mother was injured when a landslide struck a car wash facility in Samsun, northern Turkey, on Sunday night, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The incident occurred around 11 p.m. local time at a service area in Canik on the Samsun-Ordu highway. Large rocks and soil from a sudden landslide fell onto a car wash adjacent to a gas station, trapping the family, who was in the area to wash their car, under the debris.
Emergency services, including search and rescue teams from Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), firefighters, police and medical personnel, were dispatched to the scene.
Rescuers managed to pull 29-year-old mother, Çiğdem Kaya from the rubble alive; she was transported to a hospital with severe injuries, including multiple fractures. She is reportedly doing well following surgery.
However, the lifeless bodies of her husband, Adem, 35, and their daughters Ayla, 7, and Açelya Lina, 5, were removed from the debris.
Security camera footage from the gas station captured the tragic moments of the landslide.
Samsun’un Canik ilçesinde, akaryakıt istasyonunun yanındaki oto yıkamacıda meydana gelen heyelan güvenlik kamerasına yansıdı
İhbar üzerine olay yerine gelen ekiplerin müdahalesi sürüyor https://t.co/SzEY7cAvm4 pic.twitter.com/k3IFoDsNoS
— Anadolu Ajansı (@anadoluajansi) April 27, 2025
Samsun Governor Orhan Tavlı confirmed the casualties in a statement to the press, saying, “We rescued the mother and transported her to the hospital. Sadly, the father and two children could not be saved.”
Both administrative and judicial investigations have been launched into the incident. The manager of the gas station, identified as K.Y., 62, was taken into custody on Monday on accusations of “causing death by negligence.” The owner of the station, M.Z.G., was also detained later on Monday.
Landslides are not uncommon in Turkey’s northern regions, especially during heavy rains or rapid soil erosion, although Turkish officials have not yet confirmed the specific cause of Sunday night’s disaster.