Tekin GÜRBULAK-Halil KARABIYIK/İZMİR, (DHA)-İHA-AA
Created on July 16, 2024 at 12:33
TwitterLinkedinFlipboardEmailCopy LinkFont
The wildfire in Izmir’s Cesme district claimed the lives of 68-year-old Mesut Koşkunoz, his son Hilmi Koşkunoz (38), and his niece Main Elmas (35). Camera footage taken by Main Elmas during the fire has emerged. In the video, Elmas can be heard saying, “The place where our house is is burning. We are trying to escape towards the mountain. There are four adults and three children where we are.”
The fire broke out at around 11:40 yesterday in a forested area in Delikli Bay, Alacati district, Çeşme district. Residents were working on sawmills in their homes in the area when the flames spread to grasslands and then into forested areas. Following reports from nearby residents, two planes, four helicopters, 16 water tankers, three water trucks, three bulldozers and a ground team from the Izmir Regional Forestry Agency were dispatched to the area.
The fire was put out by air and ground intervention. During an on-site investigation, the bodies of 68-year-old Mesut Koşkunoz, his son Hilmi Koşkunoz (38), and his niece, the daughter of his father’s sister, Main Elmas (35), were discovered. It was discovered that Hilmi Koşkunoz had contracted an infection while accompanying his father in hospital, where he was being treated, and had been discharged two days earlier.
“Where we are, there are four adults and three children.”
The last video of the mother of the two children who died, Myn Elmas, a heart patient, filmed during the horrific moments of the fire has been released. In the video, Elmas can be heard saying, “The area where our house is is burning. We are trying to escape towards the mountain. There are four adults and three children where we are.” It is also said that Elmas rescued his own child, Hilmi Koshkunoz’s son, and his wife Simai from the area during the fire, and was finally caught in the flames when he went to rescue the mother and son.
His wife, Simai, was injured in the fire.
Meanwhile, outside the Izmir Forensic Institute, family members continue to wait for the funeral procedures to be completed. The bodies were expected to be handed over to their relatives after an autopsy, but it has been learned that the three bodies will be buried after afternoon prayers at the Buca Adatepe Mosque.
Additionally, Simai Koşkunoz, who lost her husband in the fire, was seen with burns on her legs while waiting in front of the forensic facility.
He said the process for the four suspects detained in connection with the case was continuing at the Gendarmerie.
Minister Tun: Judicial investigation into fire launched
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunci said four people had been detained, adding: “A judicial investigation has been launched by the Cesme Prosecutor’s Office regarding the forest fire in Izmir’s Cesme district, in which three people lost their lives, within the scope of the investigation.” As a result of the investigation, four suspects believed to have started the fire were detained, and the investigation is being carried out thoroughly. “I pray for God’s mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the fire and pray for their souls to rest in peace,” he said. “All our citizens affected by the fire.”
