Turkey flood death toll rises

Rescue workers at the scene of a landslide caused by flooding

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Rescuers are continuing to search for people missing in major storms that have lashed Turkey in recent days.

At least 40 people have died, including six children.

Floods, lightning and landslides have struck central and eastern parts of the country since Tuesday.

Rescue efforts were continuing on Friday in Rize -- the worst affected area -- on the eastern Black Sea coast.

In Rize, 29 people have been killed and two others are missing, with more than 200 homeless in their swamped villages, the governor's office said.

The flooding closed 58 roads, cutting off many villages.

A similar flood in Rize last year killed seven people. In 1990, some 50 people died in floods swept through the region.

Doctors fear that the flooding could lead to the contamination of water in some areas.

In the central town of Corum, about 150 miles northeast of the capital Ankara, floods and lightning killed two.

Homes have been demolished and harvests destroyed by the floods

In neighbouring Yozgat and Tokat, seven people were killed and 12 families remained homeless, the governor's office said.

In the eastern province of Mus, a river overflowed its banks, killing one, while another person was killed in the eastern Kars province, the governor's office said.

The heavy rains triggered landslides, killed livestock, destroyed fields and flooded hundreds of homes.

"We've started all of the necessary assistance and it will continue," Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit told reporters after expressing his condolences to the flood victims.