Turk mayor asks for help after floods sweep Batman

ISTANBUL, Nov 4 (Reuters) The mayor of a town in Turkey's southeast today called for international aid to recover from flash floods that have killed more than 30 people in the country.

Mayor Huseyin Kalkan told a news conference 11 people had died in Batman where about 300,000 people live.

''Nearly 63,000 of our citizens from 12,600 damaged houses have been victims of the floods and the disaster,'' he said.

''We urgently need help from our businessmen and international relief institutions.'' Some 1,200 rescue workers are in Batman after floodwaters hit the town on Wednesday. Rivers swollen by torrential rains swamped streets and toppled buildings.

Kalkan said some districts were still cut off from the rest of the town. ''The government must do something,'' he said.

The floods were the worst to hit the mainly Kurdish region since 1937.

Reuters SBA VP0242