- At least two people have died and an unknown number of residents remain trapped after the lower three floors of a seven-storey residential tower block collapsed in Istanbul 's Maltepe district at around 5.40am local time.
- Firefighters successfully evacuated residents from the upper levels that remained standing, while emergency crews deployed search dogs, heavy machinery, and acoustic listening devices to locate survivors beneath tons of concrete.
- Rescue workers have saved nine people, including three children, and have established contact with several trapped victims, including a six-year-old child under the rubble.
- Istanbul Governor Davut Gül confirmed that specialised rescue units are proceeding with extreme caution and adjusting their approach due to the severe instability of the site.
- The cause of the collapse is currently under investigation, coming shortly after a fatal gas explosion in March and amidst municipal findings that over half of recently inspected buildings in Istanbul are at high risk.
IN FULL
Two dead and several trapped under rubble after flat collapses in Istanbul
