30.10.2025 02:50
Search and rescue operations continue at the site of a collapsed 7-story apartment building in the Gebze district of Kocaeli. The lifeless bodies of 12-year-old Emir Bilir and 14-year-old Nisa Bilir were recovered from the rubble, while their older sister, Dilara Bilir, was rescued alive. It has been reported that another person was pulled from the debris in the 19th hour.
A seven-story building collapsed on Issıkgöl Street in the Mevlana neighborhood of Gebze district in Kocaeli. The cause of the collapse has not yet been determined.
2 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES
A family of five trapped under the rubble. So far, the lifeless bodies of two people have been reached, while one person was rescued alive.
RESCUED IN THE 19TH HOUR
While efforts to rescue the parents trapped under the rubble continue, a new development occurred during the night hours. In the 19th hour of the rescue operations, one more person was pulled out from the debris.
9 BUILDINGS SEALED
Citizens living in 9 buildings near the collapsed building were evacuated from their homes. The 9 buildings were sealed by the municipal police teams.
WITNESSED THE COLLAPSE OF THE BUILDING
Ahmet Durbaba, who witnessed the collapse of the seven-story building in Gebze district of Kocaeli, recounted the moments he experienced. Durbaba stated that he did not hear any sound when he first passed in front of the collapsed building, saying, "I came out of the pastry shop, and as I reached the level of the building, the sounds started coming."
Durbaba also said, "At first, I thought it was the sound of a shutter opening. When I looked at the building, the sounds increased, and now the sounds of concrete started coming as well. Then the building started coming down towards me. I ran about 20 meters forward. The building collapsed behind me." he said.
LICENSE OBTAINED IN 2012
Gebze Mayor Zinnur Büyükgöz stated that the collapsed building was licensed in 2012 and received occupancy permission in 2013, saying, "The building has a one-year construction period. There are 3 duplex apartments and a pharmacy underneath."
PHARMACY OWNER: NO CRACKS IN THE COLUMNS
The owner of the pharmacy located under the collapsed building is also watching the debris work. Uğur Aydın, the owner of the pharmacy, provided information to journalists about the building. Aydın said, "The upper part of the building is 2 stories, and there was no one there. There was also no one under the building. Our friend Levent and his family were on the middle floor."
Stating that they have been operating a pharmacy in the building for 10 years, Aydın said, "Most likely, the building was constructed 2-3 years before we came. There are no cracks inside the building." He mentioned that although it appeared that a column had fallen in the footage, it was not a column, but only the aluminum had bent. Aydın said, "I shone a light inside, and there are no cracks anywhere in the column. I went to the back, and there are no cracks. I went to the basement, and I looked at the columns there; there are no cracks. There was no problem in any of the columns."
PROPERTY RECORD OF THE COLLAPSED BUILDING
The building, which has a land registry area of 175 square meters, is registered as "7-story reinforced concrete office, workplace, and its land." In the building, which has a condominium ownership, there are 4 independent sections, while on the ground floor, it was used as "Ground Floor with Basement Storage and Mezzanine Workplace," the 1st and 2nd floors were duplex residences, and the 3rd and 4th floors were duplex residences, while the 5th floor was used as an attic apartment.