ANKARA (Sputnik) — The collapse of a five-storey building in central Istanbul appears not to have resulted in any casualties, local Governor Vasip Sahin said Friday.
"According to preliminary data, there were no victims of the building's collapse, however, we are still carrying out a search and rescue operation to make certain. We evacuated the residents of nearby buildings while we check whether there is a risk of their collapse," Sahin told local NTV broadcaster.
Earlier in the day, local media reported about the collapse of a building located in the Taksim area of Istanbul. The apartment building had reportedly been declared unsafe for habitation earlier.
