Five people, including a 5-year-old girl, died after the lower three floors of a seven-story apartment building collapsed in Istanbul, authorities said. Search and rescue operations ended early Friday after rescuers recovered the final body, although the removal of debris continued.
The collapse occurred in the Cevizli neighborhood of the city’s Maltepe district. Four victims died at the scene, while a fifth died of injuries in the hospital, according to a statement from the Istanbul Governor’s Office.
As reported on Euronews, the victims were identified as 5-year-old Gülce Dora Turhan, 22-year-old Ahmet Muhammed İnan, 40-year-old Mesut Bileci, 66-year-old Hüseyin Özkurt and 20-year-old Zeynep İnan.
Members of AFAD (Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency) work at the site of a partially collapsed building as rescue efforts continue in Istanbul, Turkey, October 8, 2026. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya
“Search and rescue operations in the Cevizli area of Maltepe were completed after the recovery of the last body at 6:15 a.m.,” the governor’s office said.
Building collapse prompts evacuations
The three lower floors of the building on Doğu Street collapsed at approximately 5:40 a.m. Thursday for reasons that remain unclear.
Emergency services immediately launched a response, evacuating residents from the building’s upper floors and nearby structures considered potentially dangerous. Rescue teams, assisted by specially trained dogs, searched the rubble for people trapped beneath the debris.
The risk of a further collapse complicated the operation. Two children were among the first five people rescued.
Firefighters search for survivors at a partially collapsed building as rescue efforts continue in Istanbul, Turkey, October 8, 2026. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya
As a precaution, authorities evacuated three neighboring buildings, affecting a total of 55 residents. Forty-four people were transferred to hotels.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said the collapsed building had been constructed in 1987. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) is arranging hotel accommodation for the building’s residents.
Architect and site manager arrested
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation. Authorities have collected samples of concrete and steel reinforcement from the rubble as part of their efforts to determine what caused the building to fail.
The building’s architect and the construction site manager have been arrested in connection with the investigation.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi confirmed that search and rescue operations had concluded and expressed his condolences to the victims’ families.
Authorities continued clearing the debris following the recovery of all five victims.
