Record Istanbul downpour: Shehbaz Sharif says Pakistan ready to help Türkiye

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered condolences and help to Türkiye after the Istanbul floods. Northern Cyprus also sent messages of support as Istanbul recovers from its heaviest rainfall since 1942.

Pakistan is ready to help Türkiye after the destructive floods in Istanbul, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a condolence message released in Turkish and English on Oct. 16, in which he addressed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as his “dear brother.”

“Pakistan stands in solidarity with the brotherly people of Türkiye and is ready to provide every support it can during this difficult time,” Sharif wrote. He offered condolences to the families of the victims, wished the injured a speedy recovery and expressed hope that the missing would be found alive.

Support from Northern Cyprus

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel also sent condolences on Oct. 15. “We feel in our hearts the pain of our brothers who lost their lives in the flood disaster in Istanbul,” he said, adding: “Every pain experienced in Türkiye is also the pain of the Turkish Cypriot people.” Public Works and Transport Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu extended condolences to the families and thanked rescue teams and health workers.

Heaviest rain since 1942

The downpour hit Istanbul on Oct. 14. According to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s disaster coordination center, AKOM, 277.1 kilograms of rain per square meter fell in Beykoz, the highest reading at the city’s stations since 1942. Water inundated streets, underpasses and homes.

A rainy evening near the Galata Bridge in Istanbul (illustrative)

Among the victims were a 14-year-old boy who was electrocuted in a park in Balat and a 34-year-old man who fell on a flooded street in Ayazağa. Turkish media later reported that the death toll had risen to at least four, as the search for the missing continued.

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said on Oct. 15 that 2,727 people trapped by the water had been evacuated. According to Çiftçi, 46,597 personnel, including 8,597 search and rescue workers, along with 2,288 vehicles and 14 boats, were deployed in Istanbul. Schools in the city were closed for two days.

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