Search for man lost in Şırnak river enters fourth day

Search and rescue operations for Erkan Sak, who vanished in the Habur-2 River in Şırnak's Beytüşşebap district, are continuing into their fourth day. Sak disappeared on the evening of July 9 after entering the river to fish, reportedly swept away by the current.

A coordinated effort involving numerous agencies is underway. Şırnak AFAD has deployed three vehicles, five personnel, a rescue boat, and both surface and underwater drones. Support is also being provided by four divers from the Cizre Municipality Fire Department, a dive team from the Bitlis Provincial Police Department's Underwater Group Command, and the Diyarbakır Provincial Gendarmerie Command's Underwater Search and Rescue Team.

Teams have intensified their search in the area where Sak was last seen. Divers are using sounding methods and underwater cameras to explore beneath the rocky areas, navigating the strong currents. At the request of Sak's family, two excavators were brought to the site to break up large rock formations approximately 10 meters downstream from the point of disappearance, widening the search area in case he became trapped.

Additionally, a team of about 30 village guards conducted a shoreline search along the riverbanks from the Habur-2 Bridge towards Beytüşşebap and the Iraqi border. Soldiers are also involved in the search along the border under military supervision. Local fishermen and dive teams attempted to use nets, but the high water flow and strong currents repeatedly tore the nets apart. Drones have been used to scan the water surface from the incident site to the Habur-2 Bridge and further towards the border.

Şırnak AFAD Provincial Director Muzaffer İşlek noted that the challenging search conditions are due to the region's steep terrain, high water flow, and powerful currents. Despite these efforts and the risks undertaken by the dive teams, Erkan Sak has not yet been found. The search and rescue operations are ongoing.

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The region's steep terrain, high water flow, and strong currents are complicating the search efforts.