Istanbul flash floods kill three as thousands are evacuated
Flash floods in Istanbul from the heaviest rain in at least 80 years have killed three people, left others missing and forced thousands to evacuate.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Flash floods in Istanbul have killed three people and left others missing after the city was hit by its heaviest rainfall in at least 80 years. The rain battered Turkey's biggest city and caused the worst flash flooding in decades, turning streets into fast-moving water and disrupting daily life.
Waters rose quickly, forcing commuters to escape however they could. Some jumped onto bulldozers, while others climbed onto bus routes. After a harrowing night, some residents were still trapped in their homes. One resident said students had not been able to get out and dozens were watching from above. The neighbourhood had been without electricity and natural gas since the previous day. The resident said the only thing they had was water, with no light and freezing conditions, describing a very difficult situation.
A rescue operation was under way earlier. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes. Schools in the city of 16 million were closed until Monday, and residents were advised to stay home if possible.
The severe weather also hit neighbouring Greece. Storms brought water spouts off the popular holiday island of Rhodes. One man died there on Wednesday, and cars were swept away as roads turned into rivers. More bad weather was expected in the region in the coming days.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Istanbul experienced its heaviest rainfall in at least 80 years, causing flash flooding and widespread disruption. | |
| Thousands were evacuated and schools in Istanbul were closed until Monday. | |
| Three people were killed and others were reported missing after the Istanbul floods. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The segment framed Istanbul as part of a wider European weather emergency, linking the floods to severe rainfall in Turkey and storms in Greece. It led with human impact and eyewitness detail, including commuters escaping on bulldozers and trapped residents without power. After the weather coverage, it turned to an unrelated school roof collapse in Pakistan.
- “In Turkey, in Istanbul They have seen the heaviest rainfall in at least 80 years Causing flash flooding and chaos Three people were killed, others are missing”
- “Waters rose fast Forcing commuters to escape any way they could Some jumped on bulldozers Whilst others climbed onto bus routes”
- “We've been without electricity and natural gas In this neighbourhood since yesterday The only thing we have is water There's no light and we're freezing”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.