Turkey: At least 31 dead in Istanbul

The provisional death toll from floods that have struck north-west Turkey in recent days is 31 dead and nine missing. The count was confirmed by Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the semi-official Anatolia News Agency, with 26 deaths in the province of Istanbul and five in the province of Tekirdag.  

The prime minister has spoken of a "huge disaster" and offered his condolences to relatives of victims. Veysel Eroglu, Turkish Minister for the Environment, has stressed that the downpour is the "worst rainfall in 500 years", with water flooding the streets of the city, submerging  large areas of Istanbul (mainly hit the European Quarter) within minutes sweeping away parked cars and covering entire buildings. Government officials point the finger at the "record rainfall" but also the "savage urbanization" of the city, which saw the construction of buildings along the river bed.  

Besir Atalay, Minister of the Interior, has not hid his fear that the death toll is likely to rise "in the coming hours”, when the water level is back to normal. Experts also forecast a new wave of bad weather, which as of tomorrow should hit the Asian zone of Istanbul, several provinces in the north-west and the Black Sea  

Rescuers have recovered the bodies of 13 people from a parking lot for buses in the district of Basaksehir; the waters surprised many drivers while they slept inside their vehicles.  The level rose by five meters in just 10 minutes, leaving no possibility of salvation for people trapped in vehicles.  

Istanbul, a city of 12 million people, is predisposed to flooding given its outdated and poorly maintained drainage infrastructure. Official sources say it is too early to estimate the damage, but an initial assessment varies between 70 and 150 million dollars.