Death toll from İstanbul floods rises to five, several others reported missing

The death toll from flooding in İstanbul has risen to five after a construction worker died late yesterday and the body of a missing man was recovered today.

The worker, identified as Faik Şentürk, was helping drain water that had accumulated in a well at a school construction site in the Beykoz district when he fell into it, according to media reports.

The body of Turgut Dursun, 66, was found beneath a bridge in Sarıyer, one of the districts hardest hit by the floods.

Heavy rainfall that began late on Oct 13 and continued into the following day triggered flash floods across İstanbul's European and Asian sides, particularly in the city's northern districts.

Search operations for at least five more missing people are underway, according to İstanbul Governor Davut Gül.

Speaking to reporters today, Gül said the city had experienced its heaviest rainfall since 1942.

The governor said emergency crews had rescued 3,050 people stranded by the floods, with no one still awaiting rescue. Search teams continued looking for those reported missing.

"Seven of our fellow citizens were discharged after completing treatment, and missing person reports were filed for five people. Search operations are continuing," Gül said.

Over 800 insurance claims

Meanwhile, the Insurance Association of Turkey (TSB) reported that insurers had received 838 claims related to flooding and water damage in İstanbul as of Oct 15.

Of those, 776 were filed under fire insurance policies and 62 under comprehensive vehicle insurance.

"These are only the initial reports. The true extent of the damage will become clearer in the coming days as new claims are filed and loss assessment work progresses," TSB President Ahmet Yaşar said.

Reservoir levels rise sharply

The heavy rainfall also produced a sharp increase in water levels at reservoirs supplying İstanbul.

According to data released by the İstanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ) at 9.14 am local time (GMT+3) on Oct 15, the average reservoir occupancy rate rose from 38.06% to 45.22% in a single day, an increase of 7.16 percentage points.

Elmalı Reservoir reached full capacity, up from 77.79% before the rainfall.

Occupancy rates also climbed to 84.2% at Istrancalar, 68.13% at Alibey, 67.74% at Darlık and 62.17% at Ömerli.

Other reservoirs remained at lower levels, with Terkos at 34.64%, Büyükçekmece at 29.02%, Sazlıdere at 27.47%, Kazandere at 8.28% and Pabuçdere at 3.41%. (VK)