Two people were killed and three others injured when a seven-storey building collapsed in the northwestern Turkish city of Gebze on Wednesday, local officials said. All five victims belonged to the same family.
Gebze Governor İlhami Aktaş confirmed that rescue teams from the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) were working at the site, with operations continuing late into the evening.
According to the state-run TRT network, the victims included a 43-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman, and their three children. The body of 12-year-old Muhammed Emir Bilir was recovered from the rubble, while the identity of the second fatality has not yet been confirmed.
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation, though Gebze Mayor Zinnur Büyükgöz suggested that nearby metro construction could have been a contributing factor.
The incident comes just days after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck western Türkiye on Monday, damaging several buildings in Balıkesir province.
Officials said the structures that collapsed were already uninhabited due to earlier quake damage, and no fatalities were reported.
Governor İsmail Ustaoğlu said 22 people were injured in panic-related incidents during the tremor, which was felt in Istanbul, Bursa, Manisa, and Izmir.
Seismologists and engineers have repeatedly urged Turkish authorities to strengthen enforcement of modern construction standards, warning that weak building practices continue to pose serious risks in the earthquake-prone country.
In a similar incident in January, two people died in Konya when a four-storey building collapsed, with several shopkeepers later put on trial for allegedly dismantling its structural supports.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom ...
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to res...
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint militar...
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middle Corridor ambitions and complex economic ties with Moscow.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment