Istanbul, Oct 30, (dpa/GNA) – Rescuers in north-western Turkey, pulled a family of five from the rubble of their collapsed home, with the 18-year-old daughter the only survivor, the broadcaster TRT reported on Thursday.
The surviving daughter is in a good condition considering the circumstances, and is receiving treatment in hospital, the broadcaster quoted Deputy Interior Minister Mehmet Aktas as saying.
The building in Gebze in the province of Kocaeli, near Istanbul, collapsed on Wednesday morning for reasons still unknown. More than 600 rescue workers were involved in the search for the buried family, which lasted all day and into the night.
According to TRT, they recovered the bodies of the parents after 19 hours.
TRT said 12 buildings in the vicinity were evacuated as a precaution.
The cause of the collapse is still being investigated. Residents reportedly noticed damage to the building’s facade and the floor the previous day.
Neighbours told CNN TĂĽrk that a metro was being built nearby. It was unclear whether the incident was related to this or to a 6.1-magnitude earthquake that shook the western Turkish province of Balikesir on Monday, followed by numerous aftershocks.
Although the earthquake’s epicentre was more than 200 kilometres away from Istanbul, the quake could still be felt in the metropolis.
The collapsed building was home to several families. However, due to a public holiday, the other residents of the seven-storey building were not at home, local media reported.
GNA