Istanbul collapse search ends with five confirmed dead

The death toll from a partial building collapse in Istanbul’s Maltepe district rose to five. Provincial authorities said on October 9 that search and rescue operations ended after the final body was recovered.

The operation ended at 06:15 Moscow time. A five-year-old child was among those killed. Authorities said nine residents were rescued and nearly 800 people took part in the search.

Fifty-five residents were evacuated from three neighbouring buildings as a precaution, and 44 people were temporarily placed in hotels. Those figures concern evacuation and accommodation rather than deaths.

Three floors of the seven-storey building collapsed overnight into October 8. It was built in 1987. District prefect Esin Keymen previously said two floors were unauthorised additions. That fact alone does not establish the cause of the collapse.

Russia’s consulate general previously told RIA Novosti that no Russians were among those killed or injured.