Climateupdated 1h ago2 min read
Istanbul Flash Floods Kill 14-Year-Old After Electric Shock, Close Schools Across Turkey Province
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
A 14-year-old boy died after electrocution in Istanbul floodwaters. Heavy rainfall triggered widespread floods, road blockages, and transport disruption across the city.
19 outlets told this the same way.
Istanbul shut down by rain
Torrential rain triggered flash floods across Istanbul, sweeping cars through neighbourhoods, stranding people, triggering landslides and bringing traffic to a standstill, with more rain to come. The downpour was the heaviest rainfall since 1985, as the city faced repeated disruptions from flooding and landslides. The Istanbul Governorate announced the suspension of in-person classes for Thursday, October 15, across all educational institutions in the province, extending the measure to the city’s universities and to schools in Sakarya, Kocaeli, Zonguldak, Düzce, and Yalova.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s balance sheet said rainfall reached unprecedented levels since 1985, and Beykoz recorded 242 kilograms per square meter. The Turkish daily Hürriyet reported that a 14-year-old adolescent, identified by the initials M.I., died after receiving an electric shock when stepping on a pool of water in the Fatih district.
Calls, closures, and response
The Istanbul Governor’s Office, in a post on X, said that by evening it had received more than 1,000 emergency reports about floods, landslides, falling trees, among other incidents. Istanbul Governor Daud Gul decided to suspend in-person schooling for today, Thursday, and the use of two-wheeled vehicles was banned starting Wednesday evening. Emergency services received 2,518 reports of weather-related incidents, while authorities recorded 1,277 flooding incidents and 15 landslides.
The governor’s office deployed around 8,000 personnel and 2,000 vehicles and construction machines, with teams from AFAD, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and district municipalities responding to flooding and other emergencies. AP said the governor’s office urged people to stay at home after heavy rainfall caused floods across the city on Wednesday, and it reported there were no reports of any serious injuries.
Weather risk and COP31
Lebanon was being watched after floods in Turkey, with the Lebanese Weather Observatory attributing the outlook to a low-pressure system centered southwest of Turkey bringing heavy rains at times, thunderstorms, and strong winds. Father Eli Khneisser projected that Lebanon would be affected by the edge of the low-pressure system that caused floods and floods in Istanbul, from Thursday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. Southwesterly winds would range from 25 to 60 kilometers per hour, while it also projected temperatures along the coast between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
The floods highlight the risks of extreme weather in Turkey, which the World Bank says is exposed to floods, droughts, and wildfires due to geographical, demographic, and economic factors. The developments came ahead of Turkey hosting the United Nations Climate Conference COP31 in Antalya from November 9 to 20, according to Al-Ghad.