A residential building in Istanbul, Turkey suddenly collapsed and rescuers immediately rushed to site to look for survivors and treat the injured. The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 6.
Earlier, BBC reported that at least four people are missing and a number of vehicles were buried. Only six people were initially rescued from the collapsed eight-story structure but as the rescue works continue, the list of survivors has gone up to 13 while three people were confirmed dead
The horrifying moment was caught on CCTV and as can be seen in the footage, it seems that there was no indication that the building is in a bad state. It suddenly came crashing down without a warning and the pedestrians run for safety. It only took a few seconds for the entire building to fall to the ground.
It was said that the building located in Kartal district has at least 43 residents and holds 14 apartments. As the media look into the incident, it was discovered that the building's top three floors were built without proper documents and permit.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya went on to reveal that the ground floor of the structure has a textile workshop too, but this has been operating illegally since it has no license. While these details are already out, the cause of the collapse is not immediately known.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) is continuing its search operations and as of this time, they were able to rescue five people including a 5-year-old that was found 18 hours after the apartment gave in. CTV News reported that the girl was fitted with a neck brace and rushed to the hospital.
Onlookers were elated for the dramatic rescue. The girl was the second child to be found in the rubble after the 9-year-old boy that was rescued earlier.
At any rate, out of all the 13 people rescued, Istanbul's governor Yerlikaya stated that three are in critical condition.
"All our prayers, all our hearts are with them," the governor said concerning the people who may still be trapped inside. "We are continuing with our search and rescue efforts so that we can deliver good news about survivors."
Meanwhile, Aljazeera mentioned that there is media blackout regarding the disaster. It reported that Turkey's broadcasting watchdog declared that Istanbul's prosecutor's office had ordered the blackout and reasoned that the coverage will only hinder the investigations.
