Building collapse in Türkiye's Kocaeli: Two children dead, 18-year-old girl rescued PHOTO

A seven-story building has collapsed in the Gebze district of Kocaeli, NTV reports.

During search and rescue operations, the bodies of two children from a family of five were recovered: 12-year-old Emir Bilir and 14-year-old Nisa Bilir.

After eight hours, rescuers pulled 18-year-old Dilara Bilir from the rubble.

Rescue efforts are ongoing to save Levent Bilir (44) and his wife Emine Bilir, who remain trapped under the debris.

09:52

A six-storey building has collapsed in the city of Gebze, about 60 km from Istanbul. No information about casualties has been reported so far.

According to NTV, rescue teams are working at the scene. The channel noted that construction work on a metro line is being carried out near the building.

Preliminary reports suggest that around six people may be trapped under the debris.

Gebze Mayor Zinnur Büyükgöz said that two families, consisting of seven people in total, lived in the building, but it is not yet known whether they were inside at the time of the collapse.

Regional İHA manager Refik Fidan told NTV live on air that the building has seven floors, with apartments on five of them.

“There is a two-storey shop beneath the building. According to initial reports, seven people are trapped under the rubble. Since metro line construction is underway in this area, it is believed that the collapse may have been caused by that,” Fidan said.