A ‘fairy chimney’ has collapsed at the entrance to the Göreme Open Air Museum, Cappadocia. The governor of Nevşehir, Hüseyin Kök, announced that the bodies of three people had been found under the rocks: unfortunately they died. At least five other people were injured, according to Justice Minister Akin Gurlek.
On social media several videos capture the moment of the collapse. The area was immediately closed to the public. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.
Ürgüp Güreme’deyim. Maalesef çok kötü oldu. Yaralı vatandaşlarımız var. https://t.co/KliXgM7LB1
— Muhammed Vefa (@muhammedvefa) October 29, 2026
The governor of Nevşehir, Hüseyin Kök, explained that the collapse, which occurred at 3.15pm local time, occurred due to heavy rain.
Göreme is a historic monastic complex featuring Byzantine frescoes dating from the 4th to 13th centuries. It was included in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1985. In recent years – also thanks to the iconic photos that bounce on social media – the village has been besieged by millions of tourists who arrive every year specifically to fly in a hot air balloon among the pinnacles shaped by the wind. A bit like in our Matera, the ancient houses carved into the rock – typical of this area – have been transformed into hundreds of hotels and restaurants.
The previous one
In 2024 a tuff fairy chimney had collapsed during a snowfall, but the detachment of the rock had occurred at night and there were no casualties. Last year another fairy chimney collapsed in the same area, but without consequences.