29.10.2025 16:54
While search and rescue operations continue at the site of the collapsed 7-story building in Gebze, photos taken of the building yesterday have led to comments like "The disaster was coming right before our eyes." It was observed that the aluminum on the walls of the pharmacy located on the lower floor of the building, which is claimed to have been affected by the Balıkesir earthquake, had buckled, and there was a depression in front of the building.
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A seven-story building in the Mevlana neighborhood of Gebze district in Kocaeli collapsed this morning for reasons yet unknown.
Upon receiving the notification, police, fire brigade, AFAD, and medical teams were dispatched to the area. The teams that started search and rescue operations in the rubble are continuing their listening activities with the participation of a search dog.
A LIFELINE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED While the teams were focused on rescuing a family of five from the rubble of the building, it was reported that a lifeline had been established.
"IT IS SAID THAT THE BUILDING WAS DAMAGED IN THE BALIKESIR EARTHQUAKE" Hasan Durbaba, one of the residents of the neighborhood, stated, "There is a metro passing under our building. Two years ago, they put signs on our buildings due to the metro. They check every 15 days to see if there is any sinking or tilting. It is already visible on the outer facade of the buildings; there are signs. It is said that the building was damaged in the Balıkesir earthquake. The owner of the pharmacy has called the contractor who built the building. There has been a rumor that 'there is a crack.' I don't have complete information about that; I only hear it as a rumor. I live in the adjacent building. My close friend is in the rubble. We last spoke yesterday briefly," he expressed.
PHARMACY TENANT: THERE WERE COLLAPSES IN THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING Uğur Aydın, the tenant of the pharmacy located under the seven-story building, made striking statements to journalists. Aydın said, "They said there was a small collapse yesterday. I was out of town. I wasn't in a position to check my phone. I immediately told my wife, 'talk to the contractor.' She spoke with him. The shop owner also came and inspected. Then they reported this as well. But ask him to whom and how he reported it. I am not informed. He told my wife that there was no problem. If this incident had happened on October 30, we might have been trapped under the pharmacy as well. There were small collapses in the front of the building. My wife is explaining this to the building owner, Mr. Ergün. Mr. Ergün came immediately and checked, they examined the columns. They checked if there were any cracks. They determined that there were none. There were devices related to the metro construction below. I don't know if they are in contact with them. Then Mr. Ergün said, 'there is no problem.' And we woke up to such a situation this morning," he said.
"THERE IS NO COLUMN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUILDING" Aydın, stating that the width of the building is 45 square meters, said, "The building is already a total of 45 square meters. There is no column in the middle of the building, or at least I don't see one. There are columns around the building. We have no chance to cut those columns. We submit a file to the Pharmacists' Chamber; all documents related to zoning and occupancy. The ventilation of the metro construction is also on the right side of the pharmacy. I only saw that there was a subsidence in front of the building.
"THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WHEN LOOKING INSIDE THE COLUMN" It was due to a 3-5 centimeter subsidence in front of the building. They cover our buildings with aluminum, which bends and puts pressure. When looking inside the column with aluminum, there was no problem. I checked in the evening. The contractor checked in the morning; but we visually saw that there was no problem. The issue was not in this building, but there was a problem in front of the building. The building was not actually damaged; there was subsidence in the area in front of it," he said.
PHOTOS OF THE BUILDING TAKEN YESTERDAY CAUSED OUTRAGE While the words of the pharmacy tenant resonated widely, those who saw the photos of the building taken yesterday commented, "The disaster has come knowingly." It was observed that the walls of the pharmacy located on the lower floor of the building, which is claimed to have been affected by the Balıkesir earthquake, had bent aluminum and that there was subsidence in front of the building.
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