Flash floods struck Istanbul and the northwest of Türkiye on 17 August 2004 following the heaviest rainfall the city had recorded in a decade, submerging thousands of homes and cutting off roads across both areas.
In Zonguldak province on the northern coast, a father and son were reported swept away by the rushing water. In Istanbul, rescue teams pulled nearly 100 people to safety from rooftops and flooded interiors in the city's European quarter.
Two streams, in the Alibeykoy and Esenler districts, broke their banks, sending water up to two meters into streets and ground floors. Authorities had ordered the evacuation of around 200 homes near Alibeykoy before the storm, but some residents refused to leave; teams using motorized inflatable dinghies returned to compel holdouts out.
More than 2,500 apartments and offices sustained flood damage and several roads became impassable. Vehicles were overturned or forced against one another by the current, and agricultural land in the northwest was also affected.
Heavy rain was forecast to continue in sporadic bursts through late Wednesday. Istanbul, home to 12 million people, is especially exposed to flooding because of aging drainage infrastructure.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in August 2004, in its own words.