Two young men drown in İznik Lake near Bursa, Turkey

On July 5 2026, 21‑year‑old Ismail Imamoğlu and 19‑year‑old Bünyamin Kadı entered İznik Lake in the Orhangazi district of Bursa to cool off on a hot summer morning. The two friends, who grew up together in the same neighbourhood after their families migrated from Köprübaşı in Trabzon to Bursa, were part of a group of four friends who had travelled from Panayır neighbourhood in Osmangazi.

When the pair failed to return, their friends alerted authorities. Health, gendarmerie, coast‑guard and police units conducted a search lasting about two hours. Both bodies were recovered from the lake and taken to the morgue of Orhangazi State Hospital.

Funeral prayers were held at Köprübaşı Mosque in Panayır, where both families attended. Ismail Imamoğlu’s father, Mustafa, struggled to stand, while Bünyamin Kadı’s father, Lokman, also participated. After the midday prayer, Imamoğlu was buried in Panayır Cemetery; Kadı’s interment was scheduled for the afternoon. The incident has prompted local mourning and an ongoing investigation into the circumstances of the drownings.