Following yesterday’s explosion in Istanbul that caused the collapse of several residential buildings in the Fatih district, in the heart of the city’s historic centre, municipal teams have begun work to assess the damage and inspect the disaster area, while the only fatality so far has been identified as a 65-year-old woman from the neihgbourhood.
An explosion on Sunday on Ebe Street in Istanbul’s Fatih district, close to the historic city walls, caused the collapse of two adjacent buildings in the Ayvansaray neighbourhood, located near the shore of the Golden Horn estuary.
The incident left ten people injured who could be rescued from the rubble, but also one fatality, identified as Semra Urunca: a 65-year-old woman known in the area by the nickname Pamuk Teyze (‘Aunt Cotton’) whose lifeless body was recovered late yesterday after intensive rescue work by emergency crews.
Teams from Istanbul’s Fatih district began work this morning to assess the damage to affected buildings in the neighbourhood. Detailed inspections are continuing in the area, while local authorities have asked several residents not to return to their homes due to the structural damage they may have suffered after the blast, providing support to cover the emergency accommodation needs of those affected, Turkish news agency İHA reported.
“We were sleeping and woke up to a loud noise. We saw that the building had collapsed. There were people trapped under the rubble. God help them,” Erkan Karabiga, a neighbourhood resident, told reporters. “Inside the building lived people I knew. One of them is in serious condition and is (in hospital) fighting for his life. I know him, he was from the neighbourhood. He is a good person,” he added.
Investigation to determine the exact cause of the tragedy
Although initial indications following yesterday’s incident pointed to a possible gas leak as the cause, authorities have indicated that the exact reasons for the tragedy will be determined after completing the technical investigations that have already been launched, and other factors such as the poor state of the collapsed buildings have not been ruled out.
Meanwhile, the body of the deceased woman was taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Istanbul for an autopsy: once the procedures were completed, it was handed over to the family, who held a funeral after the afternoon prayer in the Hacı İlyas Yatağan mosque, located in the same district of Fatih, which – according to local media – in addition to relatives and neighbours was attended by important authorities, including the governor of Istanbul Davut Gül, the mayor of Fatih Mehmet Ergün Turan, and the city police chief, Selami Yıldız.
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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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