Building collapses in Istanbul

ISTANBUL – A five-story apartment building collapsed in Istanbul early yesterday, killing at least two and injuring 26, authorities said.

Officials blamed the collapse on shoddy construction, but could not provide an immediate explanation. It was not clear how many people were inside when the building came down after midnight.At least 27 people were living in the building, Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said.Some of the injured were customers of a coffee shop in the building’s basement.A municipality worker and the coffee shop’s owner alerted residents by ringing the bells, shouting and throwing pebbles at the windows and saving many lives, authorities said.Rescuers pulled out a woman’s body from the rubble, while another woman died of her injuries at a hospital, the Istanbul mayor’s office said.Rescuers reported that a 7-year-old girl was pulled out dead, but when she was taken to hospital, doctors said she was alive though barely breathing, Guler said earlier.The girl’s face was covered in a white film of dust when she was pulled out.”She is alive and connected to a respiration machine,” Guler said.The state-run Anatolia news agency identified the girl as Evin Demir, adding that she was in critical condition.Guler said 26 people were hospitalised, including some who escaped from the coffee house.Media reports suggested that its foundations might have been weakened by an adjacent construction.Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas confirmed that the building was listed as unsafe and one that needed to be pulled down because it had faced the danger of collapsing during an earthquake.Some residents managed to escape the building when it began crumbling and the injured had been trapped in a stairway before being rescued, Istanbul firefighter department chief Ali Karahan said.A municipality worker who was walking in the street by chance saw the building rocking and alerted the residents by shouting and throwing stones at the windows, Topbas said.Nampa- APIt was not clear how many people were inside when the building came down after midnight.At least 27 people were living in the building, Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said.Some of the injured were customers of a coffee shop in the building’s basement.A municipality worker and the coffee shop’s owner alerted residents by ringing the bells, shouting and throwing pebbles at the windows and saving many lives, authorities said.Rescuers pulled out a woman’s body from the rubble, while another woman died of her injuries at a hospital, the Istanbul mayor’s office said.Rescuers reported that a 7-year-old girl was pulled out dead, but when she was taken to hospital, doctors said she was alive though barely breathing, Guler said earlier.The girl’s face was covered in a white film of dust when she was pulled out.”She is alive and connected to a respiration machine,” Guler said.The state-run Anatolia news agency identified the girl as Evin Demir, adding that she was in critical condition.Guler said 26 people were hospitalised, including some who escaped from the coffee house.Media reports suggested that its foundations might have been weakened by an adjacent construction.Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas confirmed that the building was listed as unsafe and one that needed to be pulled down because it had faced the danger of collapsing during an earthquake.Some residents managed to escape the building when it began crumbling and the injured had been trapped in a stairway before being rescued, Istanbul firefighter department chief Ali Karahan said.A municipality worker who was walking in the street by chance saw the building rocking and alerted the residents by shouting and throwing stones at the windows, Topbas said.Nampa- AP