At least seven people, including a 6-year-old, have today been trapped inside a building that partially collapsed in Istanbul, Turkey, according to local authorities.
© Murat Sengul/Anadolu via Getty Images
08/10/2026
by
Lusa
Arescue teams are working to reach the people trapped, even in the face of warnings about the risk of a new collapse of the structure.
The three lower floors of the building — including a shop on the ground floor — gave way before dawn in the Maltepe district on the Asian side of Istanbul, a city divided by the Bosphorus Strait.
The residents of the upper floors were safely removed, while the rescue teams removed five others from the rubble and continued their efforts to reach the remaining seven, said Istanbul governor Davut Gul.
Gul stated that the rescue teams had established contact with a 6-year-old child trapped in the rubble, but could not reach her from the current position and so were trying a different approach.
The governor warned that the building runs the risk of further collapses, which hinders rescue operations. Neighboring buildings were also evacuated by security measure, the governor added.
The causes of the collapse have not yet been clarified, and an investigation has been opened.
Istanbul and other regions of Turkey are undergoing an urban transformation programme aimed at replacing old and vulnerable buildings with safer housing.