Istanbul hit by extreme rainfall

Torrential rains struck Istanbul on October 14, marking the largest city in Turkey's worst precipitation episode since 1985, according to the newspaper Birgün. The event has drawn attention due to its intensity and the impact on the city's infrastructure and population.

Beykoz district recorded highest rainfall

The Beykoz district, located on the Asian side of Istanbul, recorded the highest rainfall measurements in the recent history of the metropolis, with 242 millimeters of accumulated water in one and a half days. This amount is more than a quarter of the total precipitation recorded at the Paris-Montsouris weather station for the entire year 2024, the rainiest year in the French capital.

Rainfall continued into the night

On October 15, the city's Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM) indicated that the rainfall had exceeded 273 millimeters in Beykoz, with the rains continuing during the night. Social media platforms were flooded with images of the extreme weather, including footage of a woman being rescued after being carried away by floodwaters.

Municipal response and casualties

The city governor, Davut Gul, stated that at least two people had died, including a teenager electrocuted. Authorities declared the closure of schools for two days, as new rains were expected on October 15. The city's emergency services were called upon nearly 7,000 times and deployed thousands of their staff on the ground.

Criticism of infrastructure and management

Beyond the scale of the phenomenon, the damage highlights flaws in municipal management, particularly concerning drainage networks and the safety of installations and traffic routes. Istanbul, a megalopolis with around 16 million inhabitants, has experienced demographic growth and rapid, chaotic urban development that public authorities have not been able to manage effectively.

Political tensions emerge

Members of the AKP, the Islamist-nationalist party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, staged themselves distributing plastic waterproof blankets to soaked passersby in the streets. Supporters of the Turkish government used the opportunity to question the city's management, which has been in the hands of the opposition since 2019, although the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, has been imprisoned since March 2025. As repression against the opposition increases, the government risks attempting in the coming months to take control of the municipality, worries the Turkish opposition.