Death toll rises to 21 in Istanbul building collapse, sea sand was used in construction says Ministry

The official death toll has risen to 21 from the 8-storey building that collapsed in Istanbul’s Kartal district, on the fourth day of the gruesome incident.

14 people were hospitalized due to collapse, making the total number of victims accounted for 35. The building had some 43 people registered to be living in, however, the officials say that they cannot give any precise figure on how many people are still stuck in the debris due to the undetectable number of guests.

Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said it has launched an investigation into the collapse of the 27-year-old building.

Murat Kurum, the Minister for Environment and Urban planning, asserted that the only six floors of the building had a legal permit and the top two floors were constructed against due regulations. Low quality concrete and sea sand were detected in the composition of construction material according to Kurum, causing erosion and rusting in the steel rods utilized in the building.

The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, TMMOB, alleged on Thursday that the collapsed structure was legalised with due regulation in May 2018.

The regulation, called ‘zoning amnesty’, had legalised the building in exchange for a proportional fee according to TMMOB.

“Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning gave registration documents to unlicensed constructions via zoning amnesty. They claimed, with a money-indexed system, that the buildings were solid. Buildings lacking safety regulations against earthquakes that should have been demolished were legalised through this zoning amnesty Act. As a result, people have paid with their lives,” Esin Koymen, chair of TMMOB lamented on Thursday.

The same day saw the funeral of the nine people from the same family who were retrieved dead during rescue efforts. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the funeral along with the state protocol.

Speaking before the funeral prayer, Erdogan said there are “many lessons to learn” from the episode and said his administration would take “steps in a determined way.”

13 of 20 million buildings in Turkey and half of the two million buildings in Istanbul are illegal, according to a report by the Chamber of Civil Engineers, IMO, published in August 2018.

“The time and fashion of the imminent collapse of structures in which we dwell are unclear. How the buildings will hold up in an earthquake is a complete mystery,” read the report of the chamber, pointing out the unsafe living conditions that most Turkish citizens bear.

An Istanbul building with 14 apartments collapsed, at least 3 killed, dozens injured

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from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/02/10/death-toll-rises-to-21-in-istanbul-building-collapse-sea-sand-was-used-in-construction-says-ministry/