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Turkey building collapse death toll hits 14
ISTANBUL, Feb 8, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The death toll from the collapse of an
apartment building in Istanbul has climbed to 14, a Turkish government
minister said Friday.
The eight-storey block in the Kartal district on the Asian side of the
city collapsed on Wednesday but the cause is not yet clear.
“So far 14 of our fellow citizens have been lost and another 14 people
have been brought out of the rubble alive,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu
told a news conference.
The official toll had previously stood at 10 people dead and 13 injured.
Media reports said three of the eight floors had been illegally built — a
relatively common practice in the metropolis of some 15 million people.
Anadolu news agency said 43 people were registered as living in the
building.
The collapse fanned criticism of a government amnesty granted last year to
people accused of illegal building — a measure announced ahead of municipal
elections this March.
A four-storey structure in Istanbul crumbled last year following violent
thunderstorms. In January 2017, two people died when another building
collapsed in a working class part of town.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1922 hrs