Three people were killed and five others injured when part of a volcanic rock formation collapsed near the Göreme Open-Air Museum in Türkiye’s Cappadocia region on Thursday, 29 October.
The rockfall happened at around 3.15pm local time near a car park at the museum entrance in Nevşehir province. Rocks broke away from one of the area’s distinctive “fairy chimneys”, falling onto people below. Provincial Governor Hüseyin Kök linked the collapse to a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall.
Initial reports put the death toll at two, but rescue workers subsequently recovered a third body. Kök said two of those killed were Turkish citizens and the third was a foreign national.
Medical and rescue teams were deployed, while heavy machinery was used to clear fallen rocks. The area was closed to the public, and the governor later confirmed that search operations had ended following checks for anyone else trapped beneath the debris.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced an investigation into the incident, with experts due to examine the circumstances of the collapse.
The tragedy occurred on Türkiye’s Republic Day holiday. Cappadocia is one of the country’s leading tourist destinations, renowned for its unusual rock formations, ancient underground cities and churches carved into volcanic rock. Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia have been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1985.
Main image, stock image of fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, Oct. 2026. Photo © Yulia Y / iStock
