In the past two days, 31 people have been killed in flooding in Turkey. In Istanbul, 24 people died as roads turned into fast flowing rivers during the morning rush hour. The waters rose so quickly that many were unable to get to safety and were swept away in their cars and other vehicles.

The floods in northwest Turkey have been caused by the heaviest rainfall in 80 years according to Turkish meteorologists. The rain is predicted to continue.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the stricken city on Wednesday evening, promising emergency aid.