Cappadocia rock collapse kills at least two near Göreme museum

At least two people were killed and five injured on Thursday, 29 October, when a rock formation collapsed near the entrance to Göreme’s open-air museum in Turkey’s Cappadocia region. Rescuers continued searching the debris at the tourist site, where officials warned that others could be trapped.

Nevşehir Governor Hüseyin Kök said rescue teams recovered two bodies and took the injured to hospital. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek described the casualty figures as an initial assessment: two dead and five injured. Authorities had not released the victims’ identities, AL-Monitor reported.

What happened near Göreme’s open-air museum

Kök said heavy rain triggered a landslide that caused the rocks to break off, AL-Monitor reported. The BBC said the cause was not immediately known and described rain as a possible trigger reported by local media. The governor’s account has not established a definitive cause.

Gürlek warned that other potential victims could remain beneath the rocks and said search and rescue work was continuing, the BBC reported. AFP reported that the area was closed to the public following the collapse.

Why the Göreme site draws visitors

Göreme’s open-air museum contains churches, chapels and monasteries carved into the rock, AL-Monitor reported. Cappadocia also draws visitors for its cave dwellings and distinctive fairy chimneys, formations associated with the region’s volcanic landscape. The collapse happened beside a site visited for those features, bringing the rescue operation to one of the area’s main tourist destinations.

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1985, according to AL-Monitor. The listing covers a wider area than the museum where the collapse occurred. The museum’s rock-cut religious buildings form part of the setting for which the region is known.