09.11.2026 13:27
In the Atakum district of Samsun, following construction excavation on the adjacent plot, a landslide caused the garden retaining wall and parking section of the 7-story Alan Apartment Building to collapse. The municipality evacuated and sealed the 19-apartment building. Apartment resident Zeynep Güngör said they had been applying to institutions against the construction for 2 months and had filed a lawsuit for the cancellation of the permit, saying, "The disaster came in plain sight."
In the Atakum district of Samsun, residents of a 7-story apartment building were evacuated after the garden retaining wall and parking area collapsed due to a landslide that occurred during excavation at a construction site. Zeynep Güngör, who lives in the apartment building, stated that they had been applying to the authorized institutions for about 2 months and said, "The disaster said, 'I'm coming.' It came right before our eyes."
A landslide occurred yesterday around 08.00 at the construction site in front of the 7-story Alan Apartment Building located on 3422nd Street in the Alanlı Neighborhood of Atakum district. As a result of the landslide, which was also affected by rainfall and the sloping structure of the land, the garden retaining wall and parking area of the apartment building collapsed. Upon notification, AFAD, Atakum Municipality, and police teams were dispatched to the area. The AFAD Earthquake Risk Reduction Branch Directorate and municipal teams conducted an inspection in the area. After the inspection, Atakum Municipality evacuated the building, and the building was sealed as a precaution.
THEY FILED A LAWSUIT FOR THE CANCELLATION OF THE PERMIT
Zeynep Güngör, one of the apartment residents who stated that they had applied to the authorized institutions about the construction to be carried out on the adjacent plot about 2 months ago, said, "In the responses the municipality gave us, they said that the permit was valid and that there was nothing they could do. Following that, we filed a lawsuit at the Samsun 2nd Administrative Court for the cancellation of the permit."
FEAR OF LOSING OUR PROPERTY
Güngör, who said that it was reassuring that there was no loss of life or injury in the incident but that there was material damage, said, "Everyone came yesterday, gathered here, and an inspection was carried out. Thank God, the building did not collapse and nothing happened to people's lives. I do not know who would have been held accountable for this. But of course, there is still great material damage here. We do not know, perhaps the building will be sealed completely, it will be declared uninhabitable, and we will lose our property. First of all, we are very disturbed by and complain about the insensitivity of the owner of the plot below and the contractor here."
PRECAUTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN BEFORE THE EXCAVATION
Stating that the landslide occurred after the excavation at the construction site, Güngör said, "After the construction excavation carried out below the building, a landslide occurred. When it gave way forward, it could not bear the load here. Because before that area was excavated, precautions should have been taken first with piles in accordance with its project, that is, the safety of our building should have been ensured, and only then should the excavation have begun. When the soil was removed from there in a village-style way and the front of our building, that is, the front of the retaining wall, was emptied, the disaster said, 'I'm coming.' It came right before our eyes. There are 19 flats in the building. I think two of them are empty; the rest are all occupied, with people living there. Families with children. Everyone has been victimized. Look, I do not know where they are staying right now. For example, I am staying at my relative's place."