Torrential rain in Istanbul sets off floods that kill at least four
Floods after heavy rain in Istanbul have killed at least four people, the AP and BBC Turkish reported. Turkey's interior minister said it is the city's worst flood since 1942. Teams are still looking for three people near a stream in Sariyer, Demiroren News Agency reported.
Flash floods after torrential rain in Istanbul have killed at least four people, the Associated Press and BBC Turkish reported. The body of a 66-year-old man was found Friday under a bridge in the city's Sariyer district, the AP reported. Earlier victims included a 14-year-old boy who was electrocuted when he stepped into a puddle, the BBC reported on Thursday.
"We are trying our best to help our citizens, but we are also experiencing the biggest flood disaster since 1942," Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said, according to the AP. Istanbul's governor called it the heaviest rainfall in 84 years, the BBC reported. Ciftci said some areas got 272 kilograms of rain per square meter, about 27 centimeters (11 inches), BBC Turkish reported. The city's highest daily total on record had been 199.3 kilograms, in 1985, according to Turkey's weather service, BBC Turkish reported.
Rescue teams are searching for three people still missing along the Ayazaga stream in Sariyer, Demiroren News Agency reported. Ciftci said there were 9,850 reports of damage and other problems and that 46,000 workers were cleaning up debris and helping residents, the AP reported.
Experts interviewed by BBC Turkish said the amount of rain alone does not explain the damage. Very heavy rain that falls in a few hours turns quickly into runoff in valleys, stream beds and areas covered in concrete, said Abdullah Kahraman, who studies extreme weather and climate change at Newcastle University, according to BBC Turkish. "Heavy rain is a natural event, but we are the ones who turn it into a flood," said Dogukan Dogu Yavasli, a geographer at Kirsehir Ahi Evran University, BBC Turkish reported (translated from Turkish). Many of the flooded places sit on old stream beds or floodplains, he said, according to BBC Turkish.
It is too early to say whether climate change caused this rain, BBC Turkish reported. Environment Minister Murat Kurum, who will chair the COP31 climate talks next month, linked the floods to climate change. "Combating climate change is not a choice, but a necessity," he said, according to the AP.
What we know: At least four people have died in Istanbul's floods, and three are still missing.
What we don't: Whether the missing will be found alive, and how much climate change played a part.
Where outlets agree The Associated Press and BBC Turkish both report that at least four people have died in Istanbul's floods after record rain.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.