Heavy rainfall has brought Istanbul to a standstill, flooding homes and roads and killing at least three people, officials said on Thursday, as rescue teams worked overnight to evacuate hundreds of people stranded at their workplaces.

The downpour on Wednesday night inundated homes, businesses, roads and underpasses across Türkiye’s largest city, leaving vehicles stranded and causing severe traffic disruption, The Caspian Post reports, citing ABC News.

The Istanbul governor’s office reported three deaths in the city on Thursday and said four other people were missing.

According to local media reports, a 14-year-old was electrocuted after stepping into a puddle in a park in the Fatih district, while a 34-year-old slipped on a pavement in the Sariyer district and struck their head. The governor’s office said the body of a third victim was found near another park in the Kagithane district.

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said more than 2,700 people stranded by the flooding had been safely evacuated across the city.

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said some areas had recorded their highest rainfall levels since 1985.

In Sakarya province, about 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of Istanbul, a two-storey house built on a riverbed collapsed during the flooding, HaberTurk television reported. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was inside the building.

Türkiye’s weather agency has forecast further showers in Istanbul and the surrounding areas in the coming days.

The governor’s office extended the school closure order through Friday, while some state employees were granted leave on Thursday.

In an advisory issued late Wednesday, the governor’s office urged residents to remain at home unless travel was absolutely necessary. Motorcycles were also banned from traffic.