Ilker Parlak declared missing after 69 days; symbolic funeral held in Tokat, Turkey

On 28 May 2024, four friends rode a three‑wheel electric bike along the Kelkit River near Erbaa in Tokat Province. While taking a photo, they slipped into the fast‑moving water. Atakan Kale and Furkan Kale managed to reach the shore, but Ilker Parlak (21) and Oğuz Kale (26) were swept away.

Search operations involving police divers, gendarmerie rescue teams, AFAD coordinators, drones, sonar devices and a cadaver dog continued for weeks. Oğuz Kale’s body was recovered on 13 June, about 13 km downstream, while Ilker Parlak remained missing despite 69 days of effort.

On 6 July, a symbolic (gıyabi) funeral prayer was performed in front of Parlak’s home, led by district mufti Bekir Ertürk and attended by his parents, relatives and many local residents. The ceremony marked the community’s mourning for the young man whose fate remains unknown.