Officials said two people were killed when the lower floors of a seven-storey building collapsed in Istanbul's Maltepe district before dawn. Rescuers were still searching for people believed trapped.
At least two people were killed when the lower floors of a seven-storey building collapsed in Istanbul's Maltepe district before dawn on Thursday, Al Jazeera reported, citing officials. The three lower floors, including a ground-floor shop, caved in on the Asian side of the city. The cause was not known and an investigation was under way.
The Istanbul governor's office said rescuers had recovered two bodies and were trying to reach two people still believed inside, Al Jazeera reported. Earlier, Governor Davut Gul said crews had made contact with a six-year-old trapped in the rubble.
BBC Turkish, citing Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci, said 11 people had been brought out of the debris. Gul said the building had 12 apartments and records listed 33 residents, while four damaged apartments had 14 people registered. He said two of those people were away in their hometowns and that the number inside could not be known exactly.
Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan said the collapse happened at about 05:40 on 8 October, BBC Turkish reported. The Anadolu chief public prosecutor's office opened an investigation.
Counts of people rescued differed between early agency reports as the search continued. The death toll here is the figure given by the governor's office to Al Jazeera and BBC Turkish, not a later forensic total.
People Sentiments Negative
- Davut Gul said crews had contacted a six-year-old in the rubble.
- Mustafa Ciftci said 11 people had been brought out.
- Nuri Aslan said the collapse happened at about 05:40.