Justice Minister Akın Gürlek gives an initial toll of two dead and five injured near Göreme Open Air Museum as rescuers search for others who may still be trapped.
The Nevşehir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the rock collapse in Göreme, Turkey’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said. Two people died and five were injured when a rock spire collapsed near Göreme Open Air Museum in Turkey’s Cappadocia region on 29 October, Gürlek said in an initial assessment. He warned that other people could still be trapped and said search-and-rescue work was continuing, the BBC said.
Turkish media placed the collapse near the museum entrance at about 15:15 local time (12:15 GMT). Nevşehir Governor Hüseyin Kök said the victims’ bodies had been recovered from beneath the rubble.
Göreme had an earlier collapse on 20 September 2025, when much of a rock spire in its Gaferli neighbourhood fell, scattering fragments without killing or injuring anyone, Ekovizyon said.
The collapsed spire was one of Cappadocia’s “fairy chimneys”: tall rock formations shaped as wind, rain and other natural processes wear away volcanic tuff, a rock made from volcanic ash. Ekovizyon said large rock fragments scattered around the site during the collapse.
The cause of the spire’s collapse remains unknown. Local media suggested heavy rain as a possible trigger. In a statement quoted by Urfanatik, the Nevşehir governor’s office attributed a landslide opposite the car park to excessive rainfall.
Ekovizyon also said a September 2026 announcement put restoration of five fairy chimneys under the Cappadocia Area Presidency’s protective works in its final stage. It remains unclear whether those works covered the spire that collapsed on 29 October.
Police, gendarmerie, medical staff and search-and-rescue teams were sent to the area, Urfanatik said. The governor’s office said crews were continuing rescue and examination work and taking safety measures.
Gürlek said the Nevşehir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had opened an investigation and assigned one deputy chief prosecutor and two prosecutors, Urfanatik said. Alongside that inquiry, rescuers were continuing to search for anyone who might remain beneath the rubble.
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