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Family trapped after seven-story building collapse in Kocaeli
The bodies of two children have been recovered while four others from the same family are trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams have heard a woman's voice and are working to reach her.
A seven-story residential building collapsed in the northwestern province of Kocaeli early today, with at least one fatality confirmed and four others, all from the same family, trapped under the rubble.
The collapse occurred at around 7 am in local time in Mevlana neighorhood in the the Gebze district. Hours later, search and rescue teams recovered the body of 11-year-old Muhammed Emir Bilir's body from the debris. It was followed by the recovery of his sister, Harinnüsa Bilir, 14. Their sibling, Dilara Bilir, 18, was rescued alive.
According to official records, the building was home to seven residents. However, Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş said in a live press briefing that only one family of five was confirmed to be inside at the time of the collapse.
Rescue teams heard a woman’s voice coming from beneath the debris and were concentrating efforts to reach her, Deputy Interior Minister Mehmet Aktaş announced at around 2.30 pm. He noted that the family had been living on the second floor, while the remaining units were reportedly unoccupied.
“Most likely, they are in the same place and the search is ongoing. Yes, a voice has been detected, believed to be a woman’s,” he said. “Work is being concentrated in that location.”
Local media reported that the building consisted of three duplex apartments. Residents of the other two apartments were said to be out of town.
Cause of collapse unknown
Deputy minister said the cause of the collapse would be determined after technical assessments. “Both judicial and technical investigations are ongoing under the coordination of the Gebze Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. We need time and further investigation to clarify the situation."
He also denied rumors that prior warnings had been issued about the building. “There was no official notification made to the municipality regarding any structural issues, but all tips and reports are being reviewed,” he told reporters.
When asked whether the building had passed safety inspections, Aktaş responded, “Yes, the building had obtained all the required official documents and had passed inspections. There was no known issue in that regard.”
There was no official notification made to the municipality regarding any structural issues, he added.
Uğur Aydın, the spouse of the pharmacist in the shop in the building, reported noticing movement in the structure a day earlier. “There was an 8 to 10-centimeter shift. The contractor came and checked it, said there was no problem,” Aydın said. He also observed a softening in the pavement outside the building.
“I saw my friend Levent, who is now under the rubble,” Aydın said. “He asked me, ‘Is it safe to stay in this building?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I checked all the columns myself and didn’t see any cracks. I even have surveillance footage.”
Investigations into the cause of the collapse and any potential negligence are ongoing. (VK)
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