The key facts

  • On October 29, a 'fairy chimney' rock collapsed at the entrance to the Göreme Museum
  • Turkish justice minister: two dead, five injured — initially one casualty was reported
  • The Nevşehir prosecutor's office has urgently launched an investigation; search and rescue efforts are ongoing

Rock collapse at the entrance to the Göreme Museum

On October 29, a rock collapsed at the entrance to the Göreme Open Air Museum in Cappadocia. According to CNN Türk, citing local authorities, heavy rains caused pieces of rock to break off and fall on people. The bodies of two people were found under the debris, and one injured person was hospitalized; search and rescue efforts continued at the site. The collapse occurred at a rock formation known as a 'fairy chimney', as reported by Gazeta.Ru, citing the NTV channel.

Updated casualty figures

The number of injured has risen: Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç — the source text names him as Akın Gürlek — stated on his X social media page that, according to preliminary data, two people were killed and five more were injured. According to him, more victims may still be under the rubble. The minister also noted that the Nevşehir prosecutor's office has urgently launched an investigation into the collapse.

Context

The collapse may have been caused by heavy rains in the area. Due to rain and strong winds, hot air balloon flights in Cappadocia were canceled on October 29–30. 'Fairy chimneys' are conical rock formations made of volcanic tuff, the region's main attraction; the rock is soft and easily eroded by water and wind, and collapses at such sites have occurred before. Göreme is a historical and archaeological open-air museum within a national park, famous for hot air balloon tours; underground cities and rock-cut monasteries have been preserved in Cappadocia.