Newlyweds Turki Muhammed and Emine Mustafa, who tragically lost their lives in the collapse of a four-story building, had married just seven months ago in Syria before coming to Türkiye, reports on the incident have revealed.
The couple had planned to stay temporarily in Türkiye and eventually return to Syria. Their fellow villager, Muhammed al-Hüseyin, shared: "They were planning to work here for a while, save money, and return to Syria. It wasn't meant to be."
The collapse occurred on Friday, Jan. 24, around 8 p.m. in the Selçuklu district’s Selçuk Lane on Beyşehir Street, where the Taşoluk apartment building consisting of seven shops and 14 apartments in two blocks collapsed. The building was constructed in 1992, and its occupancy permit was obtained in 1994. It was revealed that the first sounds of the collapse came from the falling tiles on the wall of the fish restaurant on the ground floor.
Upon receiving the report, a total of 962 personnel and 216 vehicles from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), firefighters, police, gendarmerie, 112 emergency response, the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE), the Turkish Red Crescent, the Search and Rescue Association (AKUT) and other NGOs were dispatched to the scene. A crisis center was established, and it was determined that 79 people lived in the building.
In the collapse, three other family members, Muhammed Cedan, 24, his uncle Halid El Cedan, 55, and his brother Ahmet Muhammed Cedan, 23, were rescued alive, while Turki Muhammed and his wife Emine Mustafa unfortunately did not survive. The bodies of the deceased couple were sent back to Syria for burial.
The survivors were quickly taken to Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Medical Faculty Hospital for treatment and were later discharged after receiving necessary medical care. The building's collapse could have been even worse, but it was reported that Ali al-Hüseyin, another resident of the building, had ensured the evacuation of many of the residents on the day of the incident, possibly saving lives.
Al-Hüseyin, Ali's brother and who lived with him, explained: "I wasn’t at home when the building collapsed. I was at the grocery store. My brother Ali notified me, and by the time I arrived, the building had started to collapse."
The family members who survived, Muhammed Cedan, Halid El Cedan and Ahmet Muhammed Cedan, had been living in Türkiye for around a year after moving from Syria.
As part of the investigation initiated by the Konya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, four individuals were arrested: two business owners and two property owners. A team of experts, including architects, geological engineers, construction engineers, electrical engineers and occupational safety specialists, conducted a detailed examination of the collapsed building to determine the cause of the collapse. Samples were taken for laboratory analysis, and the experts will prepare a report to be submitted to the investigation file.
The suspects' detention periods have been extended to gather relevant evidence.
