Building in Istanbul collapses after landslide takes away foundation

ISTANBUL

Torrential rains in Istanbul triggered a landslide on a construction site in the Sütlüce neighborhood on July 24, stripping away an apartment building’s foundation and causing it to collapse.

Local officials dispatched firefighters, ambulances and police units to Sütlüce’s İmrahor Avenue as amazed locals watched on as a four-storey building stood on a cliff without its foundation.

The road was closed to both pedestrians and car traffic as a precaution.

The landslide continued intermittently even after the construction below was halted.

The building eventually collapsed at 12:10 p.m, causing no casualties.

The building’s owner Emin Ertürk said they had warned authorities about the construction of a hotel in the adjacent plot, which he said was financed by former Barcelona footballer Arda Turan.

On the other hand, Beyoğlu Mayor Ahmet Misbah Demircan said the collapsed apartment, which was built in 1994, did not have required permits.