UPDATE - Death toll in Istanbul building collapse rises to 18

UPDATES WITH ONE MORE DEATH

By Etem Geylan

ISTANBUL (AA) - The death toll in Wednesday's building collapse in Istanbul has risen to 18, Turkey’s Interior Minister said Saturday.

"We have reached another body," said Suleyman Soylu, during a press briefing on Saturday in Istanbul.

Earlier in the day, Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca informed that 13 injured people are in hospital, including two in serious condition.

Koca's remarks came at the Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital, where he visited the victims.

In Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also expressed condolences for the victims of the collapse.

"There are lessons we need to learn," Erdogan said, visiting the building site.

The seven-story building in Istanbul’s Kartal district collapsed Wednesday for reasons as yet unknown, with 30 residents inside.

On Saturday, 9 members of Alemdar family -- who all died during the collapse of the building -- were buried today in a cemetery in Pendik district.

Gokay Alemdar (22), Mustafa Alemdar (48), Saime Alemdar (89), Ecrin Naz Alemdar (11), Erdogan Alemdar (52), Eslem Alemdar (19), Safiye Alemdar (70), Safiye Alemdar (45) ve Ayse Alemdar's (46) funerals were held.