Five die in Turkey floods

Five people died on Tuesday in flash floods from torrential rains that turned the streets of Istanbul and parts of northwestern Turkey into rushing rivers, officials said.

The nighttime storm partially flooded an Istanbul subway station and forced the evacuation of dozens of people from a city library, media reports said.

Television and social media images showed rushing waters sweeping away cars and city market stalls.

The Istanbul governor’s office said two people died.

The rains followed a particularly dry summer that saw the water reservoirs of the city of 16 million people fall to nine-year lows.

Turkey’s emergency service said three people also died on Tuesday and three were missing in floods that hit the northwestern city of Kirklareli.