Explosion Triggers High-Rise Collapse in Turkey; ‘Many’ Trapped

Feb. 2, 2004

KONYA, Turkey — An explosion in a high-rise apartment in central Turkey reduced the building to twisted metal and chunks of concrete Monday, trapping an unknown number of people.

The blast may have occurred in a heater in the 10-story building in the central city of Konya, NTV television said. The channel reported that "many people" were believed to have been inside at the time of the explosion.

Another channel, CNN-Turk, said the building housed about 40 apartments.

At least nine people were rescued from the building, which was about five years old, the Anatolia news agency reported. Those rescued, who were mainly from the building's top floors, were in good condition, the agency said.

The injured were being taken to local hospitals as rescuers searched for more survivors, using their bare hands and digging equipment. Ambulances were at the scene, which was covered in a film of concrete dust.

The bottom floor of the building housed shops, which were closed at the time, CNN-Turk said. The disaster came as Turks celebrated the Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday by visiting friends and relatives.

Critics complain about shoddy construction in Turkey and have blamed it for high death tolls in past earthquakes and other disasters.

On Saturday in Istanbul, two wooden buildings collapsed, killing six people and injuring one other. In June, a dormitory housing high school students collapsed after what appeared to be a gas explosion, killing 10 students.

In May, a dormitory in eastern Turkey collapsed in a magnitude 6.4 earthquake, killing 84 students.

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