Rare tornado hits Istanbul, causes panic

A tornado along with torrential rain has caused flash flooding in Istanbul early Saturday, prompting road closures and disrupting life across parts of the city.

Accompanied by heavy rain that disrupted traffic and pedestrians, the tornado in the Golden Horn and Eminonu districts of Istanbul was triggered by the extreme hot weather that has affected the city for over a week.

Silivri, Avcilar, Beylikduzu, and the Eminonu districts were among the worst affected areas, where floods made some roads impassable and submerged shops, Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondents reported.

Turkey's meteorological authority has issued a warning that heavy rainfall is expected to continue in the coming hours and on Sunday to extend its grip to the Asian half of the city.

Underpasses have been submerged by water and motor vehicles have been grounded on roads as firefighters pull vehicles out of the deluge, AA reporters said.