31.10.2025 19:41
Ayşenur Tekin, who lives in an apartment next to the building that became a grave for four people in the Gebze district of Kocaeli, said, "We didn't feel safe at home. I heard the sound of the building collapsing and thought it was an earthquake. Our house was seriously damaged. Right now, we are staying in a facility provided by the municipality. I don't know when we will return. We don't even have a house to go back to."
On the Issıkgöl Street in the Mevlana neighborhood of Gebze district in Kocaeli, a 7-story building with a pharmacy on the ground floor collapsed two days ago around 07:00 for reasons yet unknown.
4 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES
The Bilir family, consisting of 5 members, who were tenants in the building, were trapped under the rubble. Upon receiving the notification, many teams were dispatched to the scene. As a result of the teams' efforts, the lifeless bodies of Muhammed Emir Bilir (12) and Hayrunisa Bilir (14) were found during the daytime hours.
The family's eldest daughter, Dilara Bilir (18), was rescued alive from under the rubble. In the 19th hour of the search and rescue operations, the lifeless body of father Levent Bilir (44) was found, followed shortly by that of mother Bilir.
"I THOUGHT THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE"
Ayşenur Tekin, who lives in the apartment adjacent to the collapsed building and suffered damage in her home, said, "I went to sleep at 06:00 that day. The reason was that we didn't feel safe in that house anyway. I thought, 'at least let it be morning, I will sleep in the light.' My parents had gotten up for prayer. Then I woke up to their voices. I also heard the sound of the building collapsing. I thought there was an earthquake. When I went out to the balcony, I saw the adjacent house collapsing directly from its foundation and tipping over to the side. My parents ran to the door because they saw the moment the building collapsed. Dust, smoke, and dirt were everywhere; we somehow got out of there. The pipes had burst, so the exit was a bit difficult, but we got out," she said.
"WE HAVE NO HOME TO RETURN TO"
Tekin, who stated that there was serious damage to their home, said, "The place where the stairs meet the column has completely broken off and fallen to the side. This house could have collapsed towards our side as well. If that had happened, 3 houses, including ours, would have been completely buried under the ground. If that had been the case, I think we would have a 99% chance of dying. Right now, we are staying in a facility where the municipality has placed us. I don't know when we will return. We don't have a home to return to anyway," she said.