Severe storms batter Turkey’s Istanbul

At least 10 people have been injured as heavy rain, large hail and strong winds knocked down trees, damaged buildings and flooded streets in Istanbul, Turkey.

The violent storm pummelled Turkey’s most populous city on Thursday with hailstones the size of golf balls.

Heavy rainfall disrupted evening rush hour traffic, with some motorists leaving their vehicles stranded.

A wind gust of 98 kilometres per hour was recorded during the peak of the storm.

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Istanbul recorded 22mm of rain in just 12 hours on Thursday, which is more than half the July average of 34mm.

Delays were reported at Istanbul’s main airport, and some flights were diverted to other airports. At least one passenger jet was damaged by large hail.

Officials said that 7,000 emergency workers were called in to help after the storm uprooted 230 trees and destroyed 90 roofs.

This is the second time in 10 days that heavy rain has inundated the streets and wreaked havoc across the city.