A heavy downpour on Wednesday night flooded homes and roads in Istanbul, killing at least two people and forcing school closures. Authorities advised residents to stay home as rescuers worked to save stranded individuals.
A heavy downpour has shut down Istanbul, flooded homes and roads and killed at least two people. Rescuers worked overnight to save hundreds of people stranded at their workplaces, while bystanders helped countless others.
The downpour on Wednesday night inundated roads and underpasses, stranding vehicles and causing traffic chaos in Turkey’s largest city. Local media reported two deaths. A 14-year-old was electrocuted after stepping in a puddle at a park in the Fatih district, and a 34-year-old slipped on a sidewalk in the Sariyer district and hit their head.
In one district, bystanders rescued a woman who was being swept down a street by the floodwaters, according to footage obtained by NTV television. Firefighters rescued another person who was trapped inside a flooded basement. Images showed several parked cars being swept by the floods in another neighborhood.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said some areas had the highest amount of rain since 1985. Heavy rain was still falling Thursday morning.
The governor’s office declared schools closed and placed some public sector workers on leave. It stated that education would be suspended for a day on Thursday, and state employees with disabilities and mothers with young children would be placed on leave. The office advised residents to stay home unless travel was absolutely necessary and for people living in basement apartments to spend the night elsewhere. Motorcycles were barred from traffic.
The event disrupted daily life in a city of around 16 million people, leading to significant infrastructure challenges and emergency responses. The suspension of education and public sector work highlights the severity of the weather conditions and the authorities' efforts to ensure public safety during the ongoing rainfall.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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