News / Turkey

Two buildings collapse in Turkey major city

Friday, 12 February 2016 6:12 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 12 February 2016 6:49 PM ]

Two buildings collapse in central Istanbul, Turkey

Two buildings, including a five-story one, have collapsed in a street in central Istanbul and Turkish emergency workers are investigating whether anyone was inside.

The buildings were located on a street near the city's busy Istiklal Avenue in the central Taksim area.

A police officer at the scene said that one of the buildings shook before it started to collapse, giving people inside the building enough time to leave.

The second building was emptied some time ago, according to a local.

Eyewitnesses in the area saw clouds of brown dust seeping through the narrow side streets off of Istiklal.

Officials said the structures were reportedly empty, but there were operational shops and a cafeteria on the ground floor, prompting fears that people could be trapped inside.

The cause of the collapse is not clear.

One theory says the collapse might have been caused by construction work at the restaurant in one of the collapsed buildings.

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