Istanbul hit with 'unusual' heavy rainfall, causing transport chaos

Istanbul came to a halt on Tuesday after heavy rainfall caused streets to flood and a disruption to public transport, officials said.

The municipality said on average 65 millimetres (2.5 inches) of rain fell while the district of Silivri experienced as much as 128 millimetres.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said it was a "disaster", adding: "In a short period, an unusual amount of rain fell" for the time of year.

"But the mayor and the governorate are cooperating to deal with the situation in the best way," Yildirim said.

People were forced to wade through the water after flash floods stranded cars and caused tram lines to be suspended in the city.

Images shared on social media and Turkish television showed flooding inside metro stations and residents forced to wait for inflatable boats to rescue them.

In Uskudar, a district on the Asian side of Istanbul, the rough waters of the Bosphorus overflowed leaving roads and squares covered.

Several boats belonging to the city's shipping authority had to be nailed down to the port because of rain and strong winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour).

Istanbul governorate warned the public not to use their cars unless absolutely necessary while the Eurasia tunnel which opened last year was also temporarily closed one way.