Teenager dies as heavy rain floods Istanbul

Key points

• A 14-year-old boy died after being electrocuted in a flooded puddle in Istanbul's Balat area.
• Heavy rain flooded over 800 homes and 280 businesses, caused 1,277 floods and 15 landslides.
• Istanbul's governor urged residents to stay home and banned motorcycles until further notice.

A teenage boy has died after torrential rain flooded Istanbul, inundating hundreds of homes, causing roads to collapse and bringing traffic to a near standstill in Turkiye's largest city. Footage verified by Al Jazeera showed a surveillance camera capturing the 14-year-old boy being electrocuted in the Balat area of the Fatih district after he stepped into a puddle during the heavy rain.

The Istanbul governor's office said the boy was taken to hospital unconscious but died despite rescue attempts, and an investigation has been opened. Governor Davut Gul urged residents to stay home on Thursday unless travel was necessary, and called on people in basement flats to spend the night on higher floors and avoid creeks, underpasses and other flood-prone areas.

Measures and official warnings

Classes across the city were suspended for Thursday and motorcycles were banned from the roads, the Associated Press reported. The motorcycle ban took effect at 9pm on Wednesday and would remain until further notice. State employees with disabilities and mothers with young children were placed on leave.

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, according to Daily Sabah.

urged residents to stay at home on Thursday unless travel was necessary

— Istanbul Governor Davut Gul

Extent of the flooding

The rain began on Tuesday evening after warnings from Turkiye's weather service. Water filled roads and underpasses, stranding vehicles in districts including Esenyurt and Sultangazi, and 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. Road sections collapsed in Eyupsultan and Gaziosmanpasa, and local media reported passersby rescued a woman swept along by floodwaters in Esenyurt. Floodwater reached two hospitals and poured through the ceiling of the Haciosman metro station, while a primary school's retaining wall collapsed in Sultangazi.

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 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 operated normally.