Five die in Turkey floods


ISTANBUL, Turkey - Five people died on Tuesday in flash floods from torrential rains that turned the streets of Istanbul and parts of northwestern Turkey into rushing rivers, officials said.

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People are rescued and evacuated by boats during flooding in Kucukcekmece district in Istanbul on September 5, 2023. Two people died on Tuesday in flash floods from torrential rains that turned the streets of Istanbul into rushing rivers, officials said. (Photo by YASIN AKGUL / AFP)

 

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A man stands on a roof waiting to be rescued by boat during flooding in Kucukcekmece district in Istanbul on September 5, 2023. Two people died on Tuesday in flash floods from torrential rains that turned the streets of Istanbul into rushing rivers, officials said. (Photo by YASIN AKGUL / AFP)

 

The nighttime storm partially flooded an Istanbul subway station and forced the evacuation of dozens of people from a city library, media reports said.

Television and social media images showed rushing waters sweeping away cars and city market stalls.

The Istanbul governor's office said two people died.

The rains followed a particularly dry summer that saw the water reservoirs of the city of 16 million people fall to nine-year lows.

Turkey's emergency service said three people also died on Tuesday and three were missing in floods that hit the northwestern city of Kirklareli.