UPDATE 6 - Turkey: Istanbul building collapse leaves 2 dead

ADDS ISTANBUL GOVERNOR’S STATEMENT

By Cemal Coskun

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least two people were killed when a seven-story building on Istanbul’s Asian side collapsed, authorities said Wednesday.

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said seven people, including one in critical condition, were rescued from the rubble.

A 9-year-old boy and 2 others were still under rubble of the building in Kartal district and rescue work are ongoing, Yerlikaya added.

Turkish parliament speaker Binali Yildirim, who went to the site, told reporters rescue teams have made contact with four victims in the rubble.

“Our friends are making an extraordinary effort to get them out safely,” he added.

He said as a precaution, people living in the next building were evacuated due to possible damage caused by the collapse.

Zeki Dag, the local administrator of the neighborhood, said 15 residents are thought to be under the rubble. A textile shop under the building was empty at the time of the collapse.

Dag said the building had 14 apartments with 27-30 residents inside when it collapsed.

A team of 86 rescue workers and 26 fire trucks are at the site.

Prosecutors have begun an investigation into the incident and an Istanbul court issued a broadcasting ban, the country’s top broadcasting authority, Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK), said in a statement.