25.01.2025 02:00
In the Selçuklu district of Konya, at around 8:00 PM, as a result of ongoing search and rescue efforts in a collapsed three-story building, two people trapped under the rubble were rescued alive.
Upon receiving a report that a building in the Selçuklu district of Konya had collapsed for an undetermined reason, AFAD, 112 Emergency Health, UMKE, police, and gendarmerie teams dispatched to the area continue their search and rescue efforts.
2 PEOPLE RESCUED ALIVE AFTER 5 HOURS
On the fifth hour of the search and rescue operations in the rubble of the collapsed building in Konya, good news came from the teams. After establishing contact via phone, the teams intensified their efforts in specific areas and reached three people sitting in a life triangle under the rubble. Subsequently, UMKE teams first rescued Halid Elcezar (53) and then his nephew Muhammed Elcezar (23) alive from the debris. The two injured were transported to a safe area through a human chain formed from the rubble to the safe zone, and after the intervention of the medical teams waiting at the scene, they were taken to the hospital by ambulance. Efforts continue to rescue other individuals trapped under the rubble.
MINISTER YERLİKAYA: WE BELIEVE THERE ARE 3 PEOPLE UNDER THE RUBBLE
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated at the scene, "A total of 962 personnel and 216 vehicles from AFAD, Fire Department, Police, Gendarmerie 112, UMKE, Red Crescent, AKUT, and our NGOs are currently continuing search and rescue operations. All institutions and organizations of the state, our metropolitan district municipalities, and specialized search and rescue teams from 12 provinces coming under AFAD coordination from neighboring provinces are trying to reach as many lives as possible. Our AFAD president brought good news that one of the citizens trapped under the rubble is still alive. We hope to reach him as soon as possible," he said.
MINISTER OF JUSTICE YILMAZ TUNÇ: THE INVESTIGATION IS BEING CONDUCTED THOROUGHLY
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that one deputy chief public prosecutor and two public prosecutors have been assigned regarding the collapse of the four-story building in Konya. In a post on social media regarding the matter, Minister Tunç said, "I extend my best wishes to all our citizens affected by the collapse of a four-story building in the Selçuklu district of Konya. I hope that our citizens trapped under the rubble are rescued as soon as possible. Search and rescue operations are being carried out continuously by the relevant institutions of our state. The judicial investigation initiated by the Konya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, with one deputy chief public prosecutor and two public prosecutors assigned, is being conducted meticulously regarding this deeply saddening incident. May God protect our country and our nation from all kinds of disasters and accidents," he stated.
HE WAS SAVED THANKS TO A FORGOTTEN KEY
Mohammed Veli Kahya, a Syrian national who was rescued at the last moment from the collapsed building, said, "I was coming home from work. My wife called and said, 'The building is collapsing, they are evacuating us from the house.' I arrived home. My family had gone outside. I have a 7-month-old child. I went back inside to get clothes for him. I left the building because I didn't have my keys. The building collapsed within 3 seconds. As I was leaving the building, my neighbor Mohammed, who lived in the same building, was going up the stairs to get his family out. His father was disabled. We had not seen any signs of collapse in the building before." The residents of the buildings surrounding the collapsed structure were also evacuated as a precaution.
CLAIM THAT A COLUMN WAS CUT IN THE FISH SHOP ON THE GROUND FLOOR
It was claimed that a column was cut in the newly opened fish shop on the ground floor of the building as part of expansion works.
HE HEARD THE NOISE, RANG THE BELLS, AND SAVED DOZENS OF LIVES
Meanwhile, after hearing noises coming from the ground floor of the building that collapsed for an undetermined reason, a person who rang the bells to alert others saved dozens of lives. It was revealed that a young man named Ali Hüseyin, who is of Syrian origin, shouted to everyone, "Get out of the building." Speaking to a television channel, Hüseyin recounted the moments: "We started to hear a noise, and after hearing the sound, I rang everyone's doorbell. I warned everyone to get out. We tried to get everyone out without leaving anyone behind. Just after we got out, the building collapsed. As far as I know, no one was left in the building. I was the last to leave. All the houses were full. I have no news of our relatives. I don't know what happened after it collapsed; I closed my eyes. My brother picked me up and brought me to the ambulance."