Deadly Floods Strike Istanbul Amid Record Rainfall
Two fatalities confirmed as severe weather disrupts air travel and daily life across the city, prompting school closures.
Sarah Connor
Two people have died in Istanbul following severe flooding that inundated the city.
A Wednesday night downpour flooded homes and businesses, submerging roads and underpasses, stranding vehicles.
Nearly 600 people have been rescued after becoming stranded across the affected areas; schools were ordered to close on Thursday and Friday, with the governor’s office suspending education for those days.
Employees who are disabled, pregnant, or veterans, and women in the public sector with children under eight, were granted administrative leave on Thursday, with some exceptions. The severe weather also impacted air travel, with 46 planes unable to land at Istanbul airports.
Motorcycles were barred from traffic, and residents received advice to stay home unless travel was absolutely necessary. Bystanders reportedly rescued a woman being swept down a street by floodwaters in Istanbul, and firefighters reportedly rescued a person trapped inside a flooded basement.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality stated some areas received the highest amount of rain since 1985. The Governor of Istanbul claims the rainfall was the heaviest in 84 years.
Meanwhile, the Interior Minister claims some areas of Istanbul have seen rainfall equivalent to one seventh of the annual average. The flooding reportedly follows warnings regarding the El Niño climate pattern, which historically brings wetter and stormier weather to parts of Europe during late autumn.
Separately, a 62-year-old man died on the Greek island of Rhodes after floodwaters swept his car onto a beach. Four cars were washed away in Rhodes due to severe weather.