Rock collapse at Cappadocia tourist site kills 3, injures 5

The collapse killed 3 people and injured 5 near the Goreme Open-Air Museum in Cappadocia, Turkiye, on Thursday, officials said, up from an earlier toll of 2 dead, after part of a volcanic rock formation known as a "fairy chimney" came down onto a tourist area.

The collapse happened at around 15:15 local time near a car park at the site's entrance, Nevsehir Governor Huseyin Kok said, after a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall brought down part of the rock column. Police, gendarmerie, health teams and the national disaster agency AFAD were dispatched to the scene, and the area was immediately closed to the public.

Kok said rescuers had recovered two bodies shortly after the collapse, with rescue teams continuing to search the rubble; a third body was later found, according to TGCom24 and 20 Minutes. Daily Mirror reported that more people were feared trapped, though this has not been confirmed by Turkish officials.

Turkiye's justice minister, named in reports as Akin Gurlek, said an investigation had been opened into the incident. Television network HaberTurk showed footage of heavy machinery removing large rock fragments from the base of the formation. The nationalities of those killed have not been released.

The collapse happened on Turkiye's Republic Day holiday, when the site was expected to draw a large number of visitors, according to ERT News. Cappadocia's rock columns, carved by erosion from ancient volcanic eruptions, can reach more than 10 metres in height and are one of the region's main tourist attractions, drawing visitors from across Europe and beyond.

The Goreme open-air site and its fairy chimneys have been part of a UNESCO World Heritage-listed national park since 1985, drawing 4 to 5 million visitors a year, according to Actu.fr. Authorities have not said whether the site will remain closed beyond the immediate rescue operation.