Three people from the same family, including two children aged one and nine, perished when their wooden house in a small village near the town of Caykara in Trabzon collapsed in a landslip, according to Housing and Civil Works Minister Faruk Nafiz Ozak quoted by Anatolia.

A 56-year-old woman drowned when she was swept away by a stream that burst its banks in a rural area near Guneyce town in the neighbouring province of Rize, the agency said.

Floods also affected other nearby towns, where several houses and offices were inundated while bridges were swept away and roads were blocked by the rising waters, the agency said.

Ozak said the torrential rains, which started at around 6:30 amTuesday, had ceased and waters had started receding, assisting relief efforts.

The minister said authorities had checked the region to find no stranded people as reported earlier, but added that an army helicopter had been called in to fly over the region to assist any who might be in need.

Turkey's lush Black Sea Coast region is prone to seasonal floods and landslides. Many people live in traditional wooden houses perched on hillsides in the area

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