Three people died and more than 2,700 people had to be evacuated in Istanbul after torrential rains hit the city, officials said on Thursday (October 15).

Several cars were piled up in the floodwaters, blocking the entrance to a street in Istanbul’s Ayazaga neighbourhood, where a river overflowed due to the rain on Wednesday (October 14).

Ayazaga and Kagithane were two areas heavily damaged and flooded by the rains.

Istanbul governor’s office said three people died and five were missing, while Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said 2,727 people had to be evacuated in Istanbul.

Asiye Kucukosman, an Ayazaga resident, said the water had backed up from the toilets, flooding a home she rents out. “It wasn't God’s rain that flooded my home; it was the sewage system. This is the municipality’s fault," she said. "They’ve been issuing warnings for days, why haven’t they cleared the main drains?"

Business owners were cleaning their shops in Ayazaga’s main square, as thick mud covered the streets as municipal workers worked to clear the sidewalks.

Several kilometres away along the Kagithane river, a company’s facility was inundated, submerging its lorries.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (OCTOBER 15, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

1. VARIOUS OF DRONE FOOTAGE SHOWING CARS IN FLOODED STREET

2. VARIOUS OF DRONE FOOTAGE SHOWING TRUCKS IN FLOODED WATER

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (OCTOBER 15, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. CARS STRANDED ON STREET AMID MUD AND WATER

4. DOG WALKING, CARS ON FLOODED STREET

5. PEOPLE STANDING ON SIDE OF FLOODED STREET

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) AYAZAGA RESIDENT, ERKUT AYAZ, SAYING:

“The rain began to fall heavily around 4:30 or 5:00 in the evening. I think a stream bed further upstream burst, causing significant damage. As the water made its way down here, the area began to flood and overflow by around 6:00 PM. By 7:00 or 8:00, the water had risen to our knees, and cars (were submerged).”

7. CARS ON FLOODED STREET

8. MOTORCYCLES LYING IN MUD ON FLOODED STREET

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) AYAZAGA RESIDENT, ERKUT AYAZ, SAYING:

“The students still haven't been able to get out. Look (POINTING AT DORMITORY), there are dozens of them up there, watching from above. The markets are closed. There’s no electricity, no water, I mean, no natural gas. My family doesn’t live here; I’m only here with friends for work. My family can’t reach me. The markets are closed, We can’t even buy bread. It was an absolute struggle just to find some bread this morning.”

10. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LOOKING OUT FROM BALCONY

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) AYAZAGA RESIDENT, ASIYE KUCUKOSMAN, SAYING:

“It rained. I am someone who goes for a walk every day. All along the creek, to avoid paying the fees for disposing of excavation debris, people had dumped all their trash into the creek. I even said, ‘If it rains, if it bursts, all of Ayazaga (neighbourhood) will be devastated.’ I brought this up time and time again.”

12. VARIOUS OF DAMAGED CARS ON FLOODED STREET

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) AYAZAGA RESIDENT, ASIYE KUCUKOSMAN, SAYING:

“It wasn't God’s rain that flooded my home; it was the sewage system. This is the municipality’s fault. They’ve been issuing warnings for days, why haven’t they cleared the main drains? I can show you my house; come and see for yourself. My home is filled with water, water that backed up through the toilet, and all my belongings are ruined.”

14. MAN OPENING DOOR AS AYAZAGA RESIDENT, ASIYE KUCUKOSMAN, HEADS IN

15. KUCUKOSMAN GESTURING AT FLOODED FLOOR / FLOODED FLOOR

16. FLOODED FLOOR

17. MAN STANDING / FLOODED FLOOR

18. KUCUKOSMAN AND MAN WALKING THROUGH DEBRIS

19. DEBRIS IN MUD

20. MAN HOSING DOWN ENTRANCE TO BUILDING

21. WOMEN WALKING THROUGH MUD

22. STREET SWEEPER ON FLOODED STREET

23. VARIOUS OF CAR ON TOP OF BENCH

24. MAN CLEANING STREET

25. VARIOUS OF TURKISH FLAG FLYING OVER VEHICLES IN FLOODED WATER

ANKARA, TURKEY (OCTOBER 15, 2026) (TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTRY - Access All)

26. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTER, MUSTAFA CIFTCI, SAYING:

"Across Istanbul, 2,727 of our citizens who were stranded due to flooding and inundation have been safely evacuated, thanks to the dedicated efforts of AFAD (Turkey's disaster management authority), the Coast Guard, the Gendarmerie, and municipal teams. Furthermore, the evacuation of citizens who had become stranded in Ayazaga has also been completed."

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (OCTOBER 14, 2026) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS - Access all) (ORIGINALLY FILMED IN PORTRAIT)

27. FLOODED STREET

28. HEAVY WATER FLOWING ON STREET