Overview
- The collapse struck the entrance and parking area of the Göreme Open Air Museum at about 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, when a landslide caused part of a tall volcanic 'fairy chimney' to break away.
- Turkish authorities confirmed three people were killed and five were injured, and officials said search-and-rescue teams have finished operations and accounted for those at the scene.
- Local reports identified two of the dead as Turkish couple Fatih Eray Tuna and Begum Cetinkaya Tuna and the third as French national Cynthia Francine, and hospitals later discharged four of the five injured.
- The Justice Ministry has opened an official investigation, the governor ordered heavy machinery to clear debris, and national ministries are coordinating site closure, victim accounting, and safety checks.
- Cappadocia’s soft volcanic formations are vulnerable to erosion, and the collapse, which followed a week of extreme weather that grounded hot-air balloons, raises new questions about visitor safety, preservation work and the local tourism economy.