Teenager dies as heavy rain causes flooding in Istanbul

A 14-year-old boy has died after heavy rain caused flooding in Istanbul, leading to the collapse of roads and inundation of homes. The incident occurred in the Balat area of the Fatih district, where surveillance footage showed the boy being electrocuted after stepping into a puddle. He was taken to the hospital unconscious but died despite rescue efforts. The Istanbul governor's office has opened an investigation into the incident. Governor Davut Gul advised residents to remain indoors unless necessary and warned those in basement flats to move to higher floors. Classes were suspended across the city, and motorcycles were banned from the roads starting Wednesday night until further notice. The Interior Ministry had issued warnings about potential flooding in several provinces. Approximately 8,000 personnel and 2,000 vehicles were deployed to assist in the response. The rain began on Tuesday evening, following warnings from the weather service, and resulted in over 2,500 reports of weather-related incidents. Authorities recorded 1,277 floods and 15 landslides, affecting more than 800 homes and 280 businesses. The heaviest rainfall was reported in the Omerli area of Beykoz, with nearly 194mm (7.6 inches) recorded. Traffic density reached approximately 90 percent during the evening rush hour, but flights were operating normally.