At least ten victims have been rescued with injuries from the rubble after the collapse of two buildings in the Fatih district in the historic centre of Istanbul, caused by a natural gas explosion, while rescue teams have located in the last hours the lifeless body of a person who remained trapped in the wreckage of the buildings.
The incident took place this morning in Ebe Street, located in the Ayvansaray district, very close to the historic walls of Istanbul. The explosion caused the collapse of two adjacent buildings. A large number of police, firefighters, ambulance and other emergency crews were on the scene and immediately began searching for and rescuing possible victims, according to the TRT Haber news channel. Initial reports indicated that five people were trapped under the rubble, although the number of people trapped increased as the hours went by.
The blast in Fatih also caused damage to several nearby buildings in a humble area characterised by old, ground-floor houses. Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, provincial police chief Selami Yıldız and Fatih Mayor Mehmet Ergün Turan were on the scene to follow the rescue efforts first-hand. According to the Istanbul Governor’s Office, the powerful explosion occurred at around 12:00 noon local time (10:00 CET) in a building on the aforementioned street, causing the collapse of two adjacent buildings.
Gül said at first that seven people were initially rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital, adding that one more person had been located while efforts were continuing to find another. The governor stressed that the teams are working in a confined space and in very difficult conditions due to the abundance of debris.
Evacuation of buildings in the area is not ruled out
The governor also assured that, for the moment, there is no need to evacuate nearby buildings. “AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Agency) will conduct a review and if there are buildings that need to be evacuated, they will be evacuated. If there are citizens who are left homeless, shelter, food and assistance will be provided. Our priority now is to rescue our citizens from the rubble and provide them with treatment. According to initial assessments, our injured citizens are not life-threatening,” he added.
According to sources, at least one of the collapsed buildings was uninhabited and in a dilapidated state at the time of the explosion. In the first moments after the collapse, it was the local residents themselves who rushed to the scene and tried to help rescue possible victims.
Rescuers find a lifeless body in the rubble
According to breaking news reports in the Turkish daily Hürriyet, a total of ten people have been rescued from the rubble after the explosion in Istanbul, although none of them are in a serious condition. However, another person who was missing and believed to be in the wreckage of the building, was finally found dead.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
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.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
