Rescue teams are continuing operations at the site of a seven-story building that collapsed in Gebze, Kocaeli, northwestern Türkiye, early Wednesday morning.
The building, located on Issıkgöl Street in the Mevlana neighborhood, collapsed for reasons that are not yet known. Authorities dispatched police, firefighters, Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), and medical teams to the scene following emergency calls. Search-and-rescue efforts are underway, with teams using sniffer dogs and listening equipment to locate survivors.
Deputy Minister of Interior Mehmet Aktaş reported that a five-member family was living on the second floor, while other apartments were unoccupied. “Currently, our operation continues with 627 personnel, including 480 search-and-rescue team members. Unfortunately, we have recovered a lifeless body, believed to be a young boy – our condolences. Efforts to rescue the other family members are ongoing,” he said.
Relatives of those trapped under the rubble, including Levent Bilir, his wife and three children, are anxiously waiting at the scene. Rabia Bilir, Levent’s sister, described her worry and hope for a miracle, while friends and neighbors pleaded for the safe rescue of the family. Authorities are focusing search efforts on the floor where the family lived.
Both judicial and technical investigations are underway under the coordination of the Gebze Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the exact cause of the collapse will be revealed following these investigations. Officials emphasized that the building had received all required approvals and inspections.
Nine nearby buildings were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Local officials, including Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş and Gebze Mayor Zinnur Büyükgöz, are monitoring the rescue operations on site.
