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Three people were killed and five were injured when rock fragments broke off a fairy chimney and fell on an area where people were present near the Göreme Open Air Museum in Nevşehir's Göreme town, after heavy rain swept the region today.

Police, gendarmerie, AFAD and medical teams were sent to the scene on reports of the incident. Search and rescue work has been completed and an investigation has been opened, local officials and ministers said.

Rain-triggered rockfall near the open air museum

Rock fragments that broke loose from a fairy chimney near the Göreme Open Air Museum during heavy rain fell on an area where people were standing. Police, gendarmerie, AFAD and medical crews were dispatched to the scene after reports of the incident.

Teams working in the rubble first found that two people had died under the rock fragments. The body of a third person was later recovered, bringing the death toll to three. Five injured people were transferred to a hospital in the city, and crews continued their work at the scene.

Nevşehir Governor Hüseyin Kök told reporters at the scene that the rockslide occurred in Göreme at around 3:15 p.m. today and that officials went to the area immediately. Kök said the search and rescue operation was finished and that AFAD, police, gendarmerie, health teams and local administrators had responded with great care.

Victims identified; child among the injured

The bodies recovered from the rubble were identified as Fatih Eray Tuna, 31, and his spouse Begüm Çetinkaya Tuna, 31, and Cynthia Francine Marie Madeleine Houpert, 37, a French national. Governor Kök said two of the three people who died were Turkish citizens.

Fatih Eray Tuna was the owner of a local news organization broadcasting in Sakarya, and the Tuna couple were married in July, according to information released after the identifications.

Governor Kök visited Nael Mgattaf, an 8-year-old French national injured in the incident, at Nevşehir State Hospital and spoke with the child's father. Four of the five injured people were discharged after treatment. Kök said the remaining patient has a hip fracture and is still receiving hospital care.

Investigation launched with five appointed experts

The Nevşehir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into the incident and appointed five expert witnesses, Governor Kök said. He added that the relevant ministries would most likely launch administrative investigations and that the governor's office would start one of its own.

Kök expressed condolences to the families of the three people who died and said officials wanted the full circumstances of the event brought to light through the administrative and judicial inquiries.

Ministers confirm probe and end of rescue work

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said in a social media post that the Nevşehir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had quickly launched an investigation, assigning one deputy chief public prosecutor and two prosecutors. In that earlier statement Gürlek reported two dead and five injured as an initial assessment and said search and rescue teams were continuing their coordinated work to find anyone else who might be trapped.

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said the general health condition of the five injured people was good and that their treatment was continuing in hospitals. Memişoğlu added that teams were still working in the area and that the process was being followed closely.

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi announced that search and rescue efforts carried out by teams after the collapse had been completed. Çiftçi reported three deaths and five people rescued with injuries, and offered condolences to the families and wishes of a speedy recovery to the injured.

Key takeaways

• Rock fragments from a fairy chimney near the Göreme Open Air Museum killed three people and injured five after heavy rain
• Two of the dead were Turkish citizens and one was a French national; the victims were identified as Fatih Eray Tuna, Begüm Çetinkaya Tuna and Cynthia Francine Marie Madeleine Houpert
• Search and rescue work has been completed and four of the five injured people have been discharged from hospital
• The Nevşehir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation and appointed five expert witnesses