ISTANBUL FLOODS WORST IN MORE THAN 80 YEARS

ISTANBUL, OCTOBER 16 /SRNA/ – The devastating floods that have hit Istanbul are the worst in more than 80 years, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftci said, as the death toll rose to four.

Istanbul, Turkiye's largest city, with a population of 16 million, has received more rain in the past 48 hours than the combined average rainfall for September and October, the Associated Press reported.

"We are doing everything we can to help our citizens, but we are facing the worst flooding since 1942," Çiftci said during a visit to one of the hardest-hit areas.

The body of a man was found today beneath a bridge in the Sarıyer district, while three other deaths had been reported earlier.

Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum accompanied Çiftci on a tour of the affected neighborhoods.

Kurum, who is due to preside over the UN climate change conference next month in the city of Antalya, also linked the flooding to the effects of climate change.

He said tackling climate change was not a choice but a necessity.