Floods in Istanbul: eight people died

The death toll from floods that hit Istanbul and its surroundings last week reached eight people on Monday.

 

Rescuers found the bodies of several more people after Turkey's largest city was hit by the heaviest rains in more than 80 years.

 

According to Istanbul Governor Davut Gul's statement to journalists, six people died in the city. The bodies of two more people who died in a neighboring province were carried by the current to the southeastern edge of the metropolis.

 

Officials announced that the historic downpour observed on Wednesday, October 14, was the strongest since records began in 1942. The heavy rainfall caused disruptions and flash floods.

 

According to the governor, as of Thursday, three people were considered dead and five more were considered missing.

 

Among the dead is a 14-year-old boy who was electrocuted after stepping into a puddle. On Friday, a fourth body was found at the mouth of the Golden Horn inlet, and on Sunday a fifth body was identified. Both belonged to men.

 

On Monday, Davut Gul's press service announced that the body of another man had been found near the Ayvansaray ferry pier on the Golden Horn. He had previously been declared missing.

 

“A total of six people died in Istanbul, and one more person is considered missing,” Gul told journalists.

 

He added that two more people died outside Istanbul, in the neighboring province of Kocaeli.

 

“The bodies of two people who died in Kocaeli and were carried by the current as far as Pendik were found by our search and rescue teams. Thus, the bodies of a total of eight people have been identified,” the governor said. 

 

According to him, the search for another missing person continues.

 

Gul emphasized that so far nearly 20,000 appeals have been received by officials regarding material damage caused by the heavy rain and the resulting floods.