Heavy rain flooded Istanbul on Thursday. Authorities closed schools and urged people to stay home unless travel was absolutely necessary, the governor's office said. A 14-year-old boy died in the Balat district after he was electrocuted in a puddle.
Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city, has about 16 million people. Classes were suspended for one day, on Thursday.
Public sector workers with disabilities and mothers of young children were sent on forced leave. People living in basement flats and cellars were advised to spend the night elsewhere.
Water flooded homes and shops, and covered roads and underpasses. Vehicles were stuck and traffic in the city came to a standstill.
In one district, passers-by rescued a woman who was being swept down a street by the rising water. Firefighters pulled another person out of a flooded cellar, where they were trapped. There are no reports of injuries.
According to Istanbul municipality, the boy was walking barefoot in Cukurbostan park in Balat, in the Fatih district, and tried to cross a puddle. He was electrocuted, lost consciousness and fell onto the street.
"The child was taken to hospital unconscious, but died despite all attempts to save him. An investigation into the incident has begun," the municipality said in its official statement.
The municipality also published a video of the incident.
Updated (15.10, 00:23): Videos added from Habertürk TV, SÖZCÜ Televizyonu.
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