Governor: Istanbul floods kills 20
ISTANBUL – Istanbul's governor says the death toll from flooding in the city has risen to 20.
Muammer Guler says more than 20 people were also injured in the floods that immersed part of the city on Wednesday.
He says heavy downpours are expected to continue throughout the week but insists authorities are taking the necessary precautions.
At least eight people also died in flooding in Turkey on Tuesday, including two in an Istanbul suburb.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
ISTANBUL (AP) — Flash floods gushed across an Istanbul highway and surrounding areas on Wednesday, killing 14 people and stranding dozens in their vehicles or on rooftops, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
As waters rose more than a meter (3 feet) high in the city's Ikitelli district, motorists climbed on the roofs of their vehicles waiting to be rescued. The road links the city to an industrial area and to Istanbul's main airport, and continues to Greece.
The deaths would raise the overall toll in floods that have hit parts of northwestern Turkey since late Monday to at least 22.
Istanbul firefighters recovered seven bodies Wednesday at a truck parking lot in Ikitelli, Anatolia reported, citing firefighters and other officials. Television footage showed trucks crushed against each other.
Seven other bodies were recovered outside a textiles factory in the nearby district of Halkali, Anatolia and other news reports said. Anatolia said the victims — all female factory workers — were swept away by gushing waters as they left a van that had just brought them to work. NTV television showed seven bodies covered in white sheets, placed in a row.
The heavy rains caused two Istanbul streams to overflow, also inundating dozens of homes and workplaces. Anatolia said one building collapsed, but there were no reports of any casualties.
Rapid population growth — fueled by decades of emigration from Turkey's impoverished rural regions — has meant that the metropolis of some 15 million has developed without adequate infrastructure and poor city planning.
"We are saddened by the loss of lives. There are still some people missing and we are searching for them," said Procurement Minister Mustafa Demir. "There is huge damage to infrastructure."
"We need to be more careful when designing infrastructure and cities," he said.
Hikmet Cakmak, Istanbul's deputy governor, described the scene at Ikitelli as a "disaster" and said four helicopters and eight boats were sent to help the stranded motorists.
Istanbul's Ataturk Airport was not affected by the floods, and flights went ahead as normal, said deputy manager Celal Ozugur.
Private Dogan news agency footage showed a man stranded atop an overturned van, then letting himself go in the water and swimming toward four men who catch him and help him out of the flood.
Television showed rescuers in an inflatable boat assisting another man stranded inside a van. A military helicopter lifted around 10 people from the top of a roof.
Authorities blocked off roads leading to the highway and people were being advised to avoid traveling in the area.
Waters receded in parts of Ikitelli later on Wednesday leaving a trail of mud.
Police were deployed to prevent people from plundering goods from factories or shops affected by the floods. An Associated Press photographer saw people pillaging goods spilling from abandoned vehicles.
Meteorologists said the rainfall that hit Istanbul's Catalca suburb — where two people died on Tuesday — was the worst in 80 years. Six people were also swept away by floods in Saray, in Tekirdag province. Istanbul Gov. Muammer Guler said eight other people were missing.
More rains were forecast for northwestern Turkey on Thursday.
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Associated Press Writer Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090909/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_floods
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