This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/report-5-story-building-collapses-in-istanbul/2016/02/12/996c74fa-d186-11e5-90d3-34c2c42653ac_story.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Report: 5-story building collapses in Istanbul 5-story building collapses in Istanbul
(35 minutes later)
ISTANBUL — A five-story building collapsed in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Friday and a private news agency said a number of people are believed to be trapped in the rubble. ISTANBUL — A five-story building collapsed in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Friday but it appears no one was trapped inside, according to local officials.
The building collapsed in a street close to Istanbul’s pedestrian Istiklal Avenue, a main shopping district, leaving piles of rubble, television footage showed. The building collapsed in a small side street close to Istanbul’s pedestrian Istiklal Avenue, a main shopping district, reducing much of it to rubble. Police sealed off the area.
The private Dogan news agency said the upper floors were used as a guesthouse, while a cafeteria was located at the entrance of the building. It was not known if anyone was inside at the time of the collapse. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin told reporters that “according to preliminary inspections there isn’t anyone inside.”
Ambulances and fire trucks were called to the scene, the agency said. He added that people near the building realized that it was about to collapse due to the noise and warned people inside. “Our hope is that there wasn’t anyone inside,” said the governor.
Mayor Misbah Demircan said “people at the car park felt the shaking and they made people vacate the area,” crediting them with preventing a disaster.
Earlier, private news agency Dogan had said people were believed to be trapped in the rubble.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.