Two people were killed while five others, including two children, were rescued from the rubble of a seven-story building that partially collapsed in İstanbul’s Maltepe district. Rescue teams are continuing efforts to reach six others trapped under the debris.
The first three floors of the building in the Cevizli neighborhood collapsed at around 5.40 am, according to a statement from the Gorvernor's Office. The reason for the collapse remains unknown.
Firefighters, police, medical personnel and disaster response teams were dispatched to the scene. Residents stranded on the upper floors, which remained standing, were evacuated.
Rescue workers, assisted by search dogs, pulled five people from the debris and transferred them to nearby hospitals. İstanbul Governor Davut Gül said none of those rescued had life-threatening injuries.
Rescuers are searching for three people
Gül visited the site with İstanbul Security Director Selami Yıldız and briefed reporters on the rescue operation.
The building was constructed in 1987 and consisted of a ground floor used for commercial purposes and six residential floors containing 12 apartments.
Population records show that 33 people lived in the building, including 14 registered in four apartments damaged by the collapse.
"We have determined that two of the people living in these four apartments are out of town. Of the remaining 12, five have been rescued. We have established contact with four of the seven others, while search and rescue efforts continue for the remaining three," Gül said.
Nearby buildings evacuated
Gül said nearby buildings considered at risk had also been evacuated as authorities worked to secure the area.
Residents displaced by the collapse will be accommodated in a hotel arranged by AFAD.
Gül said the cause of the collapse and any potential irregularities in the building's permits would be examined through judicial and administrative proceedings.
Maltepe, located on the southern coast of İstanbul's Asian side, is among the city's districts considered to be at high risk of earthquakes. (VK)
