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Building collapse in Turkey's Gebze kills 2 children, parents missing
The cause of collapse remains unclear, though construction activity nearby is under suspicion.
Two children lost their lives on Wednesday after a seven-storeyed apartment collapsed during early hours in Turkey's northwestern city of Gebze.
The victims, identified as Hayrunnisa, 14, and Muhammed Emir, 12, were crushed to death while the rest of the family remained trapped in rubble, Associated Press reported.
State-run TRT news channel said that the ones trapped included a 43-year-old man, his 37-year-old wife and their three children, among which only one, the 18-year-old Dilara Bilir was successfully rescued.
TRT added that first responders are still looking for the parents and that 627 rescuers were deployed on-site.
What was the reason behind the collapse?
While mayor of Gebze, Zinnur Büyükgöz cited a nearby metro construction as the probable reason behind the deadly collapse, state-run Anadolu Agency stated the cause of the collapse was currently unknown.
Another reason, which might have been behind the unfortunate incident is that the city of Gebze lies along the north Anatolian fault line.
The north Anatolian fault line is a seismically active zone in Turkey that runs about 1,200 to 1,500 km across the country, according to an Earth Magazine archive.
It was because of this that Gebze was one of the main centres that were hit during 1999’s magnitude 7.6 earthquake, which killed an estimated 18,000 people in total.
Outdated construction procedures in the country might also be a reason behind the increasing number of building collapses. The issue has also been addressed multiple times by experts, where they have urged to enforce modern construction codes to keep significant risks in earthquake-prone areas at bay.
Building collapses in Turkey not uncommon
Earlier this year, Turkey's Konya saw a collapse of a four-story building.
Shopkeepers who rented the ground floor of that building are currently on trial to determine whether they dismantled supporting columns for more space, a common practice despite severe penalties. They could face up to 22 years in prison if convicted, the report read.
