Restaurant sealed 3 times before its pier collapsed

ISTANBUL

The restaurant where 14 people fell into the sea when its pier collapsed in Istanbul’s Arnavutköy district was found to have been sealed by the municipality three times in the past.

The building, previously registered as a second group of cultural assets to be protected, served as a fish restaurant for years. After its closure, the venue was taken over by the operator Danış Ulaç in October 2021. During the renovation, an additional ledge was installed to the pier so that customers could smoke, which was the part that collapsed.

The building, which was sealed by the municipality after the incident, turned out that it had been sealed three times before on Nov. 10, 2005, Nov. 28, 2011, and May 25, 2022, after it was found that sections were added illegally during the renovation.

Though the municipal committee decided to demolish all the parts of the building which are against the license on Aug. 17, the teams that went to the building on Nov. 1 could not carry out the demolition because there were customers inside.

Four people with minor injuries taken to the hospital after the incident on Dec. 23 were discharged after their first treatment.

A diver brought by the owners of the venue on early Dec. 24 collected the belongings of the customers spilled into the sea. Searching for minutes, the diver took cell phones, cigarettes, lighters, make-up materials and clothes from the sea.

“We are deeply saddened that the sensitivity of our brand on human health, on which we attach so much importance, has been damaged by this incident. We will do our best to compensate for this unfortunate accident,” the venue said in a statement.