At least three people have been killed as torrential rains unleashed devastating floods across Istanbul, submerging streets, sweeping away vehicles and bringing much of Türkiye’s largest city to a standstill.

The storm battered the city overnight on Wednesday, flooding residential neighborhoods, businesses, and major roads on both the European and Asian sides. Schools were closed, public transport was disrupted, and authorities urged residents to remain indoors as further rainfall was forecast.

The downpour, described by local officials as the worst in decades, has triggered a massive emergency response, with thousands evacuated and dozens of flights diverted.

Reporting from the flooded streets of Istanbul on Thursday, RT correspondent Yasin Ekin said the scale of destruction was still being assessed, with emergency crews working to rescue stranded residents and clear debris.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul described the rainfall as the heaviest in 84 years, according to Ekin, with some areas receiving up to 270 millimeters of precipitation.

The correspondent illustrated the extraordinary volume of water, explaining that such rainfall would amount to roughly 27 metric tons of water falling on an area of 100 square meters.

The flooding also reportedly forced a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) aground near the Sariyer district along the Bosphorus Strait.

The death toll rose to three on Thursday after another body was discovered in the Kagithane district, according to local media. Earlier fatalities included a 14-year-old electrocuted after stepping into a flooded puddle in Fatih and a 34-year-old who suffered a fatal head injury while attempting to cross a flooded road in Sariyer.

Footage from the district shows a massive surge of floodwater sweeping over buildings before cascading into the streets below.

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said more than 2,700 stranded people had been evacuated. Authorities also reported thousands of emergency calls, dozens of landslides, and widespread damage to infrastructure.

Air traffic was severely disrupted, with 43 flights diverted from Istanbul Airport, while operations at Sabiha Gokcen Airport were temporarily suspended. Schools were closed across six provinces, and restrictions were imposed on motorcycles and scooters.

Istanbul’s geography and urban development have aggravated the disaster, with many residential and commercial areas built along former streambeds and valleys where floodwaters naturally accumulate. The combination of exceptionally heavy rainfall and construction in flood-prone areas left entire neighborhoods vulnerable.

Emergency workers continued clearing flooded streets on Thursday as authorities warned that further downpours could threaten already devastated districts.