Istanbul, Oct 9:
A seven-storey building partially collapsed in Istanbul’s Maltepe district early Thursday, trapping several residents, including a six-year-old child, and triggering a major rescue operation. Two people were reported dead as emergency teams continued searching the rubble for survivors.
The building’s three lower floors, including a shop on the ground floor, caved in before dawn in Maltepe, on the Asian side of Istanbul. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known, and authorities launched an investigation into the incident.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said rescue teams had made contact with the six-year-old child trapped beneath the debris but were unable to reach the child from their initial position. Rescuers were attempting an alternative approach while working in difficult conditions.
Several residents were evacuated safely from the upper floors, while emergency teams pulled additional people from the rubble. Officials warned that the remaining structure was at risk of further collapse, complicating rescue efforts. Nearby buildings were also evacuated as a precautionary measure.
Firefighters, police personnel and other emergency workers were deployed at the site to locate those missing and secure the surrounding area. Authorities had not immediately established what caused the lower floors to give way.
The incident has renewed attention on building safety in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, which faces significant earthquake risks. The country has been implementing an urban transformation programme aimed at replacing old and structurally vulnerable buildings with safer housing.
The investigation is expected to examine the building’s structural condition and the circumstances that led to the collapse. Officials continued to prioritise rescue operations while assessing the danger posed by the damaged structure.