Torrential rains inundate Sakarya as Marmara region battles severe flooding

SAKARYA

In a neighborhood in Sakarya affected by the heavy rainfall, transportation was provided using excavators and tractors.

Heavy rainfall in the Marmara region triggered flooding and disruptions in Sakarya, where overflowing streams submerged homes, roads, and farmland, leading authorities to suspend classes for a day at 18 schools across four districts.

The most severe damage was reported in Sakarya’s Karasu, Akyazı, Karapürçek and Erenler districts. In Karasu, the overflowing Darıçayırı stream flooded parts of the local neighborhood, impacting homes, businesses, public buildings and agricultural land.

Coast Guard and gendarmerie teams used boats to rescue four people stranded by the floodwaters. Meanwhile, crews from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and local municipalities assisted with rescue, evacuation, and water drainage efforts.

Sakarya Mayor Yusuf Alemdar said more than 150 kilograms of rain fell per square meter in Darıçayırı, describing it as the area’s heaviest rainfall in 27 years.

In Akyazı, floodwaters swept through a poultry house with an 11,000-chicken capacity, killing hundreds of birds. Multiple roads and bridges were shut down due to flooding and landslide hazards, while a landslide forced traffic restrictions along a section of the D-100 highway in Serdivan.

The Sakarya Water and Sewerage Administration said more than 100 kilograms of rain per square meter fell across the province on average over two days. Some 560 personnel and 225 vehicles have been deployed to affected areas.

Heavy rain also caused flooding in Bursa’s Mudanya district, where four people stranded in homes and a guesthouse were rescued. Istanbul also experienced traffic congestion and transport disruptions.

Meteorological authorities expect heavy rain to continue intermittently across parts of the Marmara region in the coming days.