Istanbul, Oct 29, (dpa/GNA) – A large residential building collapsed in north-western Turkey on Wednesday, burying a family of five, including three children.
The Anadolu news agency reported that the governor of Kocaeli province, Ilhami Aktas, said rescue workers heard a voice from under the rubble, and were trying to reach the person. Pictures showed an excavator pushing concrete blocks aside.
The other residents of the seven-storey building were away on trips during a public holiday in Turkey, local media reported.
It was not immediately clear why the building, in the Gebze district near Istanbul, suddenly collapsed in the morning. According to the governor, the building was constructed in 2012.
Neighbours told the broadcaster CNN TĂĽrk, that a subway was being built nearby. It was unclear whether the incident was related to the construction work, or to an earthquake two days previously in western Turkey.
On Monday, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook the western Turkish province of Balikesir, followed by numerous aftershocks. Although Istanbul is more than 200 kilometres away from the epicentre, the main quake was clearly felt in the city.
GNA