Istanbul Floods Kill Three as Heavy Rain Shuts Schools and Roads

Heavy rain flooded Istanbul on October 14, turning streets into fast-moving channels and disrupting travel across the city. Arab News reported that the governor's office closed schools, placed some public sector workers on leave and urged residents to stay home.

The rainfall was exceptional, though reports used different measures. BBC News reported the governor's description of the heaviest rainfall in 84 years. According to Euronews, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said some areas recorded their highest rainfall since 1985. The supplied reports do not explain how those comparisons were calculated.

On October 14, floodwaters swept a woman along a street in Istanbul's Esenyurt district. Passersby rescued her, according to Al Jazeera, in one of the clearest accounts of the danger posed by the sudden flooding.

By October 15, the damage extended beyond flooded streets. Al Jazeera reported a teenager's death, collapsed roads and water entering hospitals. Telegraaf reported that hundreds of homes and businesses had flooded.

In Eyüpsultan, powerful currents damaged an avenue, with footage showing a collapse and water cascading through the roadway, according to RT en Español.

Several October 15 reports initially put the death toll at two, including BBC News and Euronews. Other coverage that day reported three deaths. Sky News also reported that 2,700 people had been evacuated.

Rescuers worked overnight to save hundreds of people stranded at their workplaces, according to Express & Star.

The highest death toll in the supplied coverage is three, reported by Sky News, Deutschlandfunk and Sydney Morning Herald. Other October 15 reports still give a toll of two, so the coverage reflects differing counts during a developing emergency.

Schools have been closed and traffic severely disrupted. TGcom24 described people trapped on buses, while BBC News reported that residents had been told not to leave home unless absolutely necessary.

Further rain was forecast for October 15, according to ARD Tagesschau, as authorities continued a large emergency response. Whether that rain causes additional flooding is the immediate concern.

The supplied coverage does not establish when schools will reopen or damaged roads will return to use. Reports of collapsed roads and flooded hospitals from Al Jazeera leave the extent of disruption to essential services unresolved.