Heavy rainfall caused flash floods in several districts of Istanbul, Turkey.
According to local observers, the heavy downpour lasted just a few hours. Turkish State Meteorological Service reported 124.2 mm of rain fell in Fatih district and 67.3 mm in Kartal district on 17 August.
Flooding was reported in the districts of Bakirkoy and Fatih, among others. Streets and buildings were flooded, including parts of the Grand Bazaar market. Vehicles and drivers were trapped by flood water. Disaster management authority said one person died in a flooded underpass in the Unkapani neighbourhood. Public transport was disrupted and ferry services on the Bosporus Strait were suspended.
According to figures from Istanbul municipality’s Disaster Coordination Centre (AKOM), 114kg / m² of rain fell in Fatih district in 1.5 hours. AKOM said this is more than the monthly average rainfall for August.
Social Media
AKOM verilerine göre İstanbul'da kış aylarında bir ayda düşen ortalama yağış miktarı bugün 1 buçuk saatte düşmüştür. Yağıştan en çok etkilenen Fatih ilçemizde metrekareye düşen yağış miktarı 114 kg'dır. İBB, 4 bin kişilik özel müdahale ekipleriyle tüm ilçelerde çalışmaktadır. pic.twitter.com/miNvsfIBP6
— Murat Ongun (@Mrt_Ongun) August 17, 2019
Rain in Istanbul’s old town quickly turns into a flood that ripps off cobblestone pic.twitter.com/FzG60OX2N9
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/AFPphoto/status/1162755970147241987
An underpass full of stores in Istanbul old town is also submerged. pic.twitter.com/UyDrAq6SKW
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 17, 2019
UPDATE — All ferry and tram services restored back to normal in Istanbul, where heavy downpours caused flash floods in various districts, damaging homes and businesseshttps://t.co/uIKzj4WNSL pic.twitter.com/RS0nj25VOY
— DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) August 17, 2019
