At least two people have been killed and ten others rescued alive after the three lower floors of a seven-storey residential building partially collapsed before dawn on Thursday in Istanbul's Maltepe district, on the Asian side of Türkiye's largest city. Emergency teams continued searching for people believed to remain trapped beneath the rubble, working under the constant threat of a further collapse.
The collapse was reported at around 5:40 am local time on Dogu Street in the Cevizli neighbourhood of Maltepe, according to Al Jazeera. The ground floor and two floors above it caved in for reasons that are not yet known, while the upper floors tilted and residents there were evacuated safely.
Table of Contents
- A race against time and a fragile structure
- Ten rescued, including three children
- A 1987 building with questions attached
- Investigation into planning and negligence
- Istanbul's wider fight with ageing buildings
- Key takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
- Read more
A race against time and a fragile structure
Rescue operations swung into motion within minutes of the collapse, but progress was slowed by a grim complication: the surviving portion of the building remained unstable. According to Hürriyet Daily News, crews temporarily halted work after detecting movement in the structure, raising concerns that the remaining section could come down on top of rescuers and victims alike.
Firefighters deployed 56 vehicles and 175 personnel along with a search-and-rescue dog, while Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) sent five vehicles, 25 personnel and two search dogs to the scene. Neighbouring buildings were evacuated as a precaution.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said rescuers had earlier made contact with a six-year-old child trapped beneath the debris — a moment of hope amid the wreckage, though it was not immediately clear whether the child was among those subsequently pulled out alive.
Ten rescued, including three children
Officials said ten people, including three children, were pulled alive from the rubble. Two bodies were recovered, and rescue teams were still trying to reach at least two people believed to be trapped, according to the Istanbul governor's office.
Municipal records showed 33 people officially registered as living in the building, which contained 12 apartments. Four apartments on the collapsed lower floors were registered as housing 14 people — the residents most exposed when the structure gave way.
A 1987 building with questions attached
The building dated back to 1987 and housed a textile workshop on its ground floor — a detail investigators are likely to examine, since commercial alterations to load-bearing structures are a recurring factor in building failures.
Governor Gül noted that municipal records showed no prior safety complaints against the building. But Maltepe Mayor Esin Köymen said an initial review of the archives revealed that the top two floors had been constructed illegally after the occupancy permit was issued — a finding that, if confirmed, points to unauthorised modifications to an already ageing structure.
Investigation into planning and negligence
A deputy chief prosecutor and two prosecutors have been assigned to the case, along with two inspectors, who will examine the building's planning, construction and renovation history and determine whether any public officials were negligent or responsible, Hürriyet Daily News reported.
The cause of the collapse remains unknown, and the investigation is at an early stage. Türkiye's prosecutors have become increasingly assertive in pursuing construction-safety cases, particularly in the wake of mass building failures during the 2023 earthquakes, which fuelled public outrage over construction standards and official oversight.
Istanbul's wider fight with ageing buildings
The collapse has refocused attention on Istanbul's sprawling, decades-old housing stock. Much of the city was built rapidly during waves of internal migration in the 1980s and 1990s, often with limited oversight — and in a region where seismic risk makes structural integrity a matter of life and death.
The city and other parts of Türkiye are undergoing an urban transformation programme aimed at replacing old and earthquake-prone buildings with safer housing, as Al Jazeera noted. But the programme is vast, expensive and contested, and thousands of buildings in the city remain classified as risky while owners, tenants and authorities argue over who pays for renewal.
Thursday's collapse — which came without an earthquake, flood or explosion — suggests the danger is not only seismic. Buildings that are ageing, modified without permission and occupied beyond their intended capacity can fail on an ordinary morning.
Key takeaways
- The collapse: The three lower floors of a seven-storey building caved in before dawn on Thursday in Istanbul's Maltepe district; at least two people died and ten, including three children, were rescued alive.
- The rescue: At least two people were still believed trapped; operations were temporarily halted over fears of further collapse, with nearby buildings evacuated.
- The questions: The 1987 building's top two floors were allegedly built illegally after the occupancy permit was issued, and prosecutors are examining planning, construction and renovation history.
- The wider issue: The disaster has renewed scrutiny of Istanbul's ageing housing stock and the slow pace of its earthquake-resilience programme.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly did the collapse happen?
On Dogu Street in the Cevizli neighbourhood of Maltepe district, on the Asian side of Istanbul. The emergency call came in at around 5:40 am local time on Thursday, October 8.
How many people were affected?
Municipal records showed 33 people registered as living in the building's 12 apartments. Two people were killed, ten were rescued alive — including three children — and rescue teams were still searching for at least two people believed trapped in the rubble.
Why did the building collapse?
The cause is not yet known. Investigators are examining the building's planning, construction and renovation history. The mayor said the top two floors were built illegally after the occupancy permit was issued, but that has not been established as the cause.
What has the official response been?
Istanbul's governor is coordinating a large-scale rescue involving firefighters, AFAD teams and search dogs. A deputy chief prosecutor and two prosecutors, plus two inspectors, have been assigned to investigate whether officials were negligent.
Is this connected to earthquakes?
No earthquake preceded this collapse. However, it has intensified debate about Istanbul's ageing buildings and the country's slow-moving programme to replace earthquake-prone housing with safer alternatives.
