Deadly flash floods strike Istanbul

At least five people were killed after heavy rains triggered flash floods in northwest Turkiye, Reuters reported state broadcaster TRT Haber saying today.

Three people died and three are still missing in Kirklareli province, near the border with Bulgaria and Greece, after houses were flooded late yesterday, local media reported.

A further two people were killed and 31 more injured in Turkiye’s largest city Istanbul’s Basaksehir and Kucukcekmece districts, authorities said. Images showed heavy downpours causing several cars to float in flooded waters of Istanbul’s northern districts.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said search and rescue operations were continuing and pledged financial support to families in flood-affected areas.

Around 125 kilogrammes per square metre of rainfall hit Istanbul in less than six hours, equal to what the city would typically expect in a month in September, the governor’s office said in a statement.

Torrential rain has caused unprecedented flooding in southeast Europe, damaging infrastructure and prompting evacuations.

At least two people died after torrential rain flooded homes and businesses in central Greece today while two people lost their lives due to floods in Bulgaria’s Black Sea region yesterday.

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