Turkish authorities have evacuated 42 residents of three buildings in the last few hours in the district of Gebze, located in the Turkish province of Kocaeli about 50 km south of Istanbul, after serious structural damage and cracks were detected in several columns. An entire family died in the same city only a few days ago after the 7-storey building in which they lived collapsed in the early hours of the morning.
Turkish media reported that the alarm was raised when residents of the affected properties, located on Şehit Mücahit Okur Street in the İstasyon neighbourhood, noticed numerous cracks in the building’s pillars, which led to the mobilisation of teams from the Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change, as well as municipal and police units.
After the relevant inspections, the technicians classified the buildings as high risk, ordering the immediate evacuation of the residents of the 13 apartments affected and the closure of three shops located on the ground floor of the building, which was sealed off by the authorities, while a review of other buildings in the area has been initiated to rule out possible additional risks.
Meanwhile, Turkish agencies reported a similar event in the Çayırova neighbourhood north of Gebze, where residents of a four-storey building on 5216 Street reported to the authorities that they heard noises followed by cracks in the building’s main pillars; although inspectors have confirmed structural damage, they have not ordered an evacuation for the time being, so residents have started to leave the building on their own initiative.
Sole survivor notified of death of her entire family
The incident comes just days after the collapse of a seven-storey building in the adjacent Mevlana neighbourhood on 29 October, in which four members of the same family died: Muhammet Emir (12 years old), Hayrunnisa Nur Bilir (14 years old), and his parents Emine (37) and Levent (44).
The sole survivor of the tragedy, the family’s eldest daughter Dilara Bilir, 18, was rescued alive from the rubble after the building collapsed, an event that was recorded by nearby security cameras. After leaving the intensive care unit of the hospital where she was being treated and being transferred to a ward, Turkish media have reported that psychologists have recently informed the young woman of the death of her parents and siblings.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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