Governorship of İstanbul: 3 People Lose Their Lives in Collapsed Building

* Photograph: Özgür Yusufoğlu - bianet

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In a statement released by the Governorship of İstanbul, it has been stated that three people have lost their lives and 12 people have been wounded after a building collapsed in the district of Kartal yesterday (February 6).

While three of the wounded are in a serious condition, it has also been reported that three storeys of the collapsed building were without a license.

The names of two of the deceased have been announced as follows: Ayşe Alemdar (45) and Yıldız Gündoğdu (33). The other person who died in the incident has not been identified yet.

Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu also made a statement last evening and stated that search and rescue operations have been continuing.

Yıldırım: If you add storeys without precautions...

Minister of Environment and Urbanization Murat Kurum, Parliamentary Speaker and ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) Metropolitan Mayor candidate for İstanbul Binali Yıldırım and Mayor of Kartal Altınok Öz also made statements about the incident.

While Minister Kurum stated that seven other buildings in the vicinity of the collapsed building have been evacuated as a precaution, Yıldırım said,

"They add storeys to a constructed building without taking any precautions or paying any attention to rules, laws or requirements of engineering and technique, thinking 'Come on, nothing would happen to us.' When you take on such a stance, then, facing great risks becomes inevitable."

Mayor Öz: Unlicensed storeys constructed after 1992

Addressing the allegations that three storeys of the building were unlicensed and a column of the building was cut, Mayor Öz stated,

"It is the Apartment of Yeşilyurt. From the family of our Vice Mayor as well... In the light of the information that we have received from the family, I can say it with relief that no columns in the building were cut.

"This vice mayor of ours was elected to this post after 2014. The unlicensed construction of this building was from the post-1992 period. Therefore, it is something that has nothing to do with our Vice Mayor." (EKN/SD)