Downpour in Turkey’s capital leads to flash floods, leaves 1 dead
People try to cross a flooded street in Ankara, Turkey, June 11, 2022. (AA Photo)


A downpour in the capital Ankara led to the overflow of Tatlar Stream and flash floods across the city under heavy rain as search and rescue teams recovered the body of a person who was caught in the floodwaters.

Altındağ Karapürçek neighborhood's Tatlar Stream overflowed due to the heavy rain, and many vehicles were dragged away by the floodwaters.

Ilkay Yiğit, a 27-year-old, who works as a shuttle driver at a rehabilitation center, was swept away by the floodwaters.

Upon the report of the loss, a Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) team of 21 and a Gendarmerie Search and Rescue (JAK) team of 23 were dispatched to the region.

As a result of the search efforts supported by Ankara Metropolitan Municipality firefighters, Yiğit's lifeless body was found on the edge of the stream, among tree branches that were also swept away by the floodwaters.

A man takes refuge at a bus stop in a flooded street, Ankara, Turkey, June 11, 2022. (AA Photo)

Some underpasses were filled with water due to the rainfall throughout the city. There were also disruptions in traffic on some avenues, boulevards and streets.

Citizens caught in the downpour at metro stations and bus stops in the city center waited minutes for the rain to stop.

Çankaya was one of the districts most affected by the downpour. The rain waters turned the valley in Kırkkonaklar district into a river.

Due to the darkening clouds, the city was plunged into darkness for a while. Upon the rise of the waters after the rain, some citizens tried to cross the street by removing their shoes.

While some trees were knocked down in Atakule and its surroundings, this had a negative impact on traffic, some trees were also felled in Dikmen, Keçiören, Etimesgut and Balgat, and material damage occurred to vehicles.

The roof of a building on Ceyhun Atıf Kansu Street flew off and first hit the opposite building with a strong wind, and then fell on a parked car on the road.

The windows of some apartments in the building, where the roof hit, were broken, and the exterior of the building was damaged. The pieces that broke off from the roof and the building it hit caused material damage to other parked vehicles.

Vehicles have a hard time on flooded roads, in Ankara, Turkey, June 11, 2022. (AA Photo)

Metropolitan municipality teams started cleaning work on the street where the police took precautions.

A freight elevator belonging to a transportation company in Alacaatlı fell into the next building while it was carrying goods.

The road was closed to traffic after the underpass at the General Staff Junction filled with water. Traffic was also cut off in a part of Kazım Karabekir Street.

One person was stuck under a vehicle that was dragged on a flooded street in Mamak. The injured citizen was rescued by people in the vicinity and taken to hospital.

A multiple-vehicle collision involving 14 vehicles occurred in the Etimesgut State District underpass. Debris and stones were swept into the streets.

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş tweeted that 35 people had been rescued. He reported flooding in 300 locations, 35 fallen trees, and the collapse of 23 roofs and three utility poles. More than 3,000 staff continue to work in the affected areas.