Record rainfall devastates Istanbul with three dead and six missing, Turkey's exports to BRICS countries reach $18.2 billion, all Reyhanli bombing suspects are finally captured, and Ankara condemns Colombia's embassy move to Jerusalem.

In this episode

• Three dead, six missing as heavy rain batters Istanbul and Kocaeli
• Istanbul Records Third-Highest Daily Rainfall in 115 Years of Data
• Turkiye's exports to BRICS countries top $18.2 billion in January-September
• All Suspects in 2013 Reyhanli Bombings Captured, Turkish Intelligence Says
• Turkey Condemns Colombia's Decision to Move Embassy to Jerusalem

Transcript

Deniz: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Turkey Brief Daily. It's Friday, October 16. I'm Deniz.

Maya: And I'm Maya. Today: record-breaking floods hit Istanbul, Turkey's exports to BRICS countries keep growing, all suspects in the deadly 2013 Reyhanli bombings are finally captured, and Ankara condemns Colombia's embassy move to Jerusalem.

Deniz: Let's start with the floods. Heavy rain has battered Istanbul and neighboring Kocaeli.

Maya: Yeah, and the toll is grim. Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi confirmed three people have died. Search teams are still looking for six people reported missing — five in Istanbul and one in Kocaeli.

Deniz: He said rainfall in parts of the city reached 272 kilograms per square meter. Thousands of residents were rescued and moved to safe areas.

Maya: Hm, that's a staggering amount. And I saw that a rain gauge at Bogazici University's Kandilli Observatory recorded 129.6 millimeters on October 15 — the third-highest daily total in records going back to 1911.

Deniz: Exactly. That single day accounted for roughly 74 percent of all rain measured in the city in the first half of October. The minister urged everyone to follow guidance from authorities. This is very much a developing situation.

Maya: Right. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.

Deniz: Let's turn to trade. Turkey's exports to BRICS countries reached over 18.2 billion dollars between January and September this year.

Maya: Wow, that's a big number.

Deniz: Russia was the largest market among them, taking over 4.1 billion dollars worth. And Turkey's total exports for the nine-month period grew 5.2 percent year-on-year, reaching nearly 211 billion dollars.

Maya: So the BRICS bloc is clearly a significant and growing market for Turkish exporters.

Deniz: Right.

Maya: Okay, next — a long-running case is finally closed. Turkish intelligence says all suspects in the 2013 Reyhanli bombings have now been captured.

Deniz: Those were devastating attacks in Reyhanli, in Hatay province, that killed 53 people.

Maya: That's right.

Deniz: The final fugitive, Mihrac Ural, was detained at the Syrian border on October 14 while trying to flee abroad, in a joint operation by MIT and Syrian intelligence.

Maya: And the investigation stretched back years.

Deniz: Yes. It began with the capture of Yusuf Nazik in Syria in 2018. He admitted receiving instructions from Syrian intelligence. More suspects were caught in 2025 and 2026. All were brought to Turkey.

Maya: That must bring some measure of justice for the victims' families.

Deniz: Indeed.

Maya: And one more story — Turkey is condemning Colombia's decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Deniz: The Foreign Ministry called on Bogota to reverse the move and urged all states to avoid actions that could undermine the city's status. Ankara says it violates UN Security Council resolutions from 1980 and runs counter to international law.

Maya: Turkey's position is clear — a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital is the path to peace.

Deniz: Exactly.

Maya: That's all for today.

Deniz: As always, you can read the full stories at turkeybrief dot com.

Maya: Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend. See you Monday.

Deniz: Take care.

Voices in this episode are AI-generated. Stories are based on Turkey Brief's reporting.