Turkey building collapse kills 2 and traps 3 others under rubble

NN ONLINE:

A seven-story apartment building in Turkey’s northwestern city of Gebze collapsed early Wednesday, killing two and trapping three others under the rubble, officials and state media said.

Gebze Governor Ilhami Aktas said earlier all 5 belonged to one family. State-run TRT news channel identified them as a woman, a man and their three children, saying 627 rescuers were deployed on site. Rescuers recovered the body of the 12-year-old Muhammed Emir Bilir, but the other body wasn’t immediately identified, according to TRT.

While state-run Anadolu Agency stated the cause of the collapse was currently unknown, Mayor of Gebze Zinnur Büyükgöz, speaking to local media, suggested it might be related to nearby metro construction.

Gebze also lies along the north Anatolian fault line and was one of the main centers hit during 1999’s magnitude 7.6 earthquake, which killed an estimated 18,000 people in total.

Experts have long warned that Turkey’s failure to enforce modern construction codes poses significant risks in earthquake-prone areas.

In January, the collapse of a four-story building in Konya led to two deaths. Shopkeepers who rented the ground floor are currently on trial to determine whether they dismantled supporting columns for more space, a common practice despite severe penalties. They could face up to 22 years in prison if convicted.