A seven‑storey residential tower collapsed in Istanbul’s Maltepe district, killing two people and leaving several residents trapped under the rubble. Authorities reported that the lower three floors caved in at about 5:40 a.m. local time, while the top floors remained standing. Firefighters were able to evacuate residents on the upper levels safely.
Emergency crews rushed to Doğu Street in the Cevizli neighbourhood after receiving reports that multiple residents were buried beneath tons of concrete and twisted metal. Rescue workers used heavy machinery, search dogs and acoustic listening devices to locate victims in the collapsed section. So far, nine people, including three children, have been rescued.
Istanbul governor Davut Gül confirmed that rescue teams had made contact with a six‑year‑old child trapped beneath the debris, but the site’s instability forced teams to alter their approach. He said specialised units were working under extreme caution to prevent further collapse.
The cause of the structural failure remains under investigation. The incident comes just months after a natural gas leak caused an explosion that brought down two residential buildings in Istanbul’s Fatih district in March, killing one person and injuring ten others. According to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, more than half of the buildings inspected in the past year are classified as either “high” or “very‑high” risk in the event of an earthquake.
