Turkey: Flash floods kill 3, paralyze Istanbul after record downpour

ANKARA — At least three people were killed and four remain missing as flash floods swept through Istanbul, stranding hundreds and turning major roads into rivers across the province of nearly 16 million people.

Heavy rains that began early Wednesday intensified throughout the day and into the night, flooding lower floors of homes and businesses and disrupting public transportation in Istanbul province, Turkey’s largest financial hub.

A 14-year-old boy identified by his initials, M.I., was killed after stepping into floodwaters near the entrance of a parking lot and being electrocuted in Istanbul’s Fatih district, the Istanbul governor’s office said. A second person, a 34-year-old man identified as S.Y., died after falling into floodwater in the Sariyer district, according to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

The body of another person was discovered in Kagithane after being swept away by floodwaters from Sariyer, the governor’s office said later Thursday, adding that efforts were underway to identify the victim and that four people remain missing.

The municipality said emergency crews had evacuated 595 people stranded across Istanbul. The country’s disaster management agency, AFAD, and an emergency hotline received more than 2,500 incident reports, according to the governor’s office, with over 1,250 reports of flooding, 15 landslides and 47 instances of people stranded by rising water, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Authorities deployed about 8,000 personnel and 2,000 vehicles and pieces of heavy machinery across the city. Rescue and evacuation operations continued overnight in some districts, according to Anadolu.

Power outages were reported in several flooded neighborhoods, including areas where water inundated homes and businesses.

The Istanbul’s governor’s office suspended classes at all public and private schools across the province on Thursday and Friday because of severe weather. Motorcycles and other two-wheeled vehicles were banned from roads. Residents living in basement apartments were urged to move to upper floors or other, safer locations as officials warned of additional flooding.

The heavy downpour also hit air traffic, with 43 aircraft unable to land at Istanbul Airport and therefore diverted to alternative airports in Turkey, according to the Turkish Transportation Ministry. Landings at Sabiha Gokcen Airport, located on the Asian side of Istanbul, were also briefly suspended because of strong winds and wind shear, and three aircraft were diverted to Ankara.

In some areas, the province recorded up to 255.8 millimeters of rain, one of the highest levels measured in the city since 1985, according to the Istanbul municipality.