The fatal incident ocurred in the downtown district of Sisli, where a mosque's minaret fell over a restaurant, killing one person inside, the NTV news channel reported.

The storm, which lasted less than half an hour, damaged the roofs of 144 buildings and dozens of cars, while downing 20 trees and power poles, the Istanbul municipality said in a statement.

The winds reached 104 kilometres (65 miles) per hour in some areas, it said.