Teenager dies as heavy rain floods Istanbul

A teenage boy has died after torrential rain battered Istanbul, flooding hundreds of homes, causing roads to cave in and bringing traffic to a near standstill in Turkiye’s largest city.

Footage verified by Al Jazeera showed a surveillance camera capturing the moment the 14-year-old boy was electrocuted in the Balat area of Istanbul’s Fatih district, after stepping into a puddle during heavy rain.

The footage showed the boy walking through puddles at the entrance of a car park before suddenly collapsing to the ground.

The Istanbul governor’s office said the boy was taken to hospital unconscious, but he died despite rescue attempts, noting that an investigation into the incident had been opened.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul urged residents to stay at home on Thursday unless travel was necessary. He called on people living in basement flats to spend the night on higher floors and to avoid creek beds, underpasses and other flood-prone areas.

The governor’s office suspended classes across the city for Thursday and banned motorcycles from the roads, the Associated Press reported. State employees with disabilities and mothers with young children were placed on leave.

The motorcycle ban took effect at 9pm on Wednesday and would stay in place until further notice.

Turkiye’s Interior Ministry warned of sudden flooding in several provinces on Wednesday and Thursday.

About 8,000 personnel, along with 2,000 vehicles and construction machines, were deployed across the city, home to about 16 million people, Turkish outlet Daily Sabah reported.

Road closures

The rain began on Tuesday evening after warnings from Turkiye’s weather service.

Water filled roads and underpasses, leaving vehicles stranded in several districts, including Esenyurt and Sultangazi.

Water also poured into homes, shops and basements.

Emergency services received more than 2,500 reports of weather-related incidents, Daily Sabah reported.

Authorities recorded 1,277 floods and 15 landslides, and 47 people were stranded. More than 800 homes, 280 businesses and 76 vehicles were affected.

Sections of road collapsed in the Eyupsultan and Gaziosmanpasa districts, the Turkiye Today news website reported.

Local media reported that passersby rescued a woman after floodwaters swept her along in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district.

Several neighbourhoods were affected, with roads submerged, vehicles stranded and homes and businesses inundated. Floodwater also 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 were reported among students.

The heaviest rain fell in the Omerli area of Beykoz, on Istanbul’s Asian side, where nearly 194mm (7.6 inches) was recorded, according to Daily Sabah. Acting Istanbul Mayor Nuri Aslan said parts of the city received nearly 100mm (3.9 inches) in 12 hours.

Traffic density reached about 90 percent during the evening rush hour, and flights were operating normally, the newspaper said.