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A partial building collapse in Istanbul kills 2 and traps at least 2 more
Rescuers recovered two bodies and reached eight survivors as they searched for at least two people still trapped, officials said.
A seven-story residential building in Istanbul's Maltepe district partially collapsed on Thursday morning, trapping at least seven people, including a 6-year-old, beneath the debris on the city's Asian side.
Before dawn, the building's lower three floors caved in at 5:40 a.m. local time in the Cevizli neighborhood, causing upper levels to tilt. Authorities launched an investigation into the collapse, though the cause remains unknown.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul reported that rescue teams have successfully pulled nine people, including two children, from the rubble. Rescuers established contact with a 6-year-old trapped beneath the collapsed section but altered approach due to site instability.
Authorities evacuated nearby buildings to ensure public safety as ongoing site instability forced specialized rescue units to proceed with extreme caution. The structural risk hampered efforts to reach those still trapped beneath the debris.
Turkey is implementing a nationwide urban transformation program to replace aging, earthquake-risky structures; this incident underscores persistent challenges authorities face inspecting residential blocks across the country.
The mayor of Maltepe, the Istanbul district where the building is located, has declared that it was built in 1987 and that two floors were subsequently added without respecting the original plans.