January 24, 2025 - 11:14 AM
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A search and rescue operation was underway in central Turkey on Friday after a four-story building collapsed, trapping at least five people inside, officials said.
The cause of the collapse in the city of Konya, some 260 kilometers (160 miles) south of the capital, Ankara, was not immediately known. Two people were brought out of the structure with injuries, the private DHA news agency reported.
Gov. Ibrahim Akin said five members of a family are believed to be still trapped inside the building.
Emergency response teams dispatched to the scene were using sensitive listening devices to locate possible survivors, DHA reported.
The incident occurred just three days after a fire ripped through a 12-story hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey, killing 78 people.
In 2004, a 12-story apartment building collapsed in Konya, claiming the lives of 92 people and injuring some 30 others. Structural flaws and negligence were blamed for the collapse.
News from © The Associated Press, 2025