At least three people have died and thousands have been evacuated after torrential rain caused severe flooding across Istanbul, with authorities describing it as the heaviest rainfall the city has seen in 84 years.
A 14-year-old boy died after being electrocuted when he stepped into a puddle in the Balat area of Istanbul's Fatih district. Surveillance footage showed the boy walking through floodwater at the entrance of a car park before suddenly collapsing. He was taken to hospital unconscious and died despite rescue attempts. An investigation into the incident has been opened.
A 34-year-old man also died after slipping and hitting his head on the pavement while attempting to cross a road during the flooding. A third fatality has been reported, though further details were not confirmed across all sources.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul urged residents to stay at home unless travel was absolutely necessary. He called on people living in basement flats to move to higher floors overnight and to avoid creek beds, underpasses and other flood-prone areas.
"I urge all our citizens to remain vigilant against the expected heavy rain and storm, particularly during nighttime hours," Acting Mayor Nuri Aslan wrote on X.
Aslan said approximately 595 people had been evacuated to safe areas after becoming trapped, while more than 8,000 workers and 2,000 vehicles and construction machines were deployed across the city in response to the flooding. Separate reports put the total number of evacuees at 2,700.
Schools across Istanbul were ordered to close on Thursday and Friday, as heavy rain was expected to continue. Motorcycles were banned from the roads, with the ban taking effect at 9pm on Wednesday and remaining in place until further notice.
State employees with disabilities, pregnant workers and veterans were granted administrative leave on Thursday, unless employed in health, safety or rainwater drainage services. Women working in the public sector with children under the age of eight were also placed on leave.
Emergency services received more than 2,500 reports of weather-related incidents. Authorities recorded 1,277 flood events and 15 landslides. More than 800 homes, 280 businesses and 76 vehicles were affected.
Sections of road collapsed in the Eyupsultan and Gaziosmanpasa districts. Water filled roads and underpasses in several districts, including Esenyurt and Sultangazi, leaving vehicles stranded. A river burst its banks, and a car park in a shopping centre in the Sariyer district was submerged.
Floodwater reached two hospitals and poured through the ceiling of the Haciosman metro station. In Sultangazi, a primary school's retaining wall collapsed while students were inside their classrooms. No injuries among students were reported.
Passersby rescued a woman after floodwaters swept her along a street in the Esenyurt district.
The heaviest rainfall was recorded in the Omerli area of Beykoz, on Istanbul's Asian side, where nearly 194mm of rain fell. Acting Mayor Aslan said parts of the city received close to 100mm in 12 hours. The interior minister noted that some areas had received rainfall equivalent to one seventh of the annual average.
Traffic density reached approximately 90 percent during the evening rush hour. The city's metro service extended its operating hours until 02:00 local time, and residents were advised to use public transport rather than private vehicles. Forty-six aircraft were unable to land at Istanbul's airports during the peak of the flooding.
Turkey's Interior Ministry warned of sudden flooding in several additional provinces. Istanbul is home to approximately 16 million people.
