People are rescued and evacuated 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)
Torrential rains hit the northern stretches of Istanbul and parts of Kirklareli province on Tuesday, sweeping away shops and tourist bungalows.
Two people died in Istanbul. The toll in Kirklareli reached six when rescuers reached the body of the last person reported missing in the disaster, identified as Ahmet Baki Simsek.
The storms inundated Kirklareli’s Black Sea coast town of Igneada, which housed tourists in 18 bungalows.
Deputy Interior Minister Munir Karaloglu said an investigation had been launched into safety conditions at the tourist site.
Turkish officials issued an arrest warrant for the facility’s owner on the grounds that the bungalows had been built illegally, the private NTV broadcaster reported.