At least three people have died and five remain missing after torrential rain triggered severe flooding in Istanbul on Thursday, 15 October, in what officials described as the heaviest downpour the city has seen in at least 80 years.
Neighbourhood Submerged
Aerial footage showed streets submerged in muddy floodwater in Ayazağa, a neighbourhood on Istanbul’s European side, with damaged cars, overturned vans and stranded trucks scattered across the roads. Emergency crews worked to clear debris and reach affected areas as residents struggled with the aftermath.
Residents said the rain began lightly before a stream further upstream burst its banks, sending a sudden torrent through the neighbourhood. Dozens of vehicles were swept away, traffic ground to a halt, and authorities cut power and gas supplies in some areas as a precaution.
Essential Services Disrupted
The floods disrupted essential services, leaving some households without electricity, running water or natural gas. Rescue and clean-up operations continued as authorities assessed the damage caused by the extreme weather.
Amid the devastation, footage showed a woman carrying a box of rescued kittens through the flooded streets, saying three others were missing.
Extreme Weather Across the Region
The disaster near Istanbul comes as Turkey grapples with increasingly erratic weather patterns. The flooding ranks among the deadliest weather events to hit the region in recent years and has renewed questions about urban drainage infrastructure in one of Europe’s largest metropolitan areas.
