By Salih Baran and Hakan Mehmet Sahin
EDIRNE, Turkey (AA) – After topping the flood plain, a river in northwestern Turkey is deluging bridges, cars, and historic areas.
Discharge from the Tunca River, located in the northwestern province of Edirne, jumped from 38 cubic meters per second to 308 per second by within 24 hours, according to Turkey’s State Waterworks Directorate.
Floodwaters have stranded small vehicles trying to cross the historic bridges over both the Tunca and the Meric River, a tributary to the Meric.
Floodwaters partially submerged major historical areas of Edirne such as the Justice Pavilion (Adalet Kasri), the Balkan Martyrs' Cemetery, and Kirkpinar Contest Field, the site of wrestling tournaments.
The bridges over the Meric and Tunca are currently closed to traffic.
Discharge from the Meric River also jumped from 327 cubic meters per second to 1,327 cubic meters per second within 24 hours.
The Meric also crested its banks in 2015, reaching its highest level in 31 years at 2,149 cubic meters per second.
With the rising floodwaters, roads leading to Greece and Edirne’s Karaagac neighborhood were closed and people were evacuated.
Rising levels of sand at the bottom of the Meric could lead to further floods in the years to come even with smaller amounts of water, experts fear.
