ISTANBUL – A two-storey building collapsed in eastern Turkey on Tuesday, injuring at least 10 people and leaving as many as 25 people trapped under the debris, officials said.
The incident occurred in the town of Battalgazi, in Malatya province, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of the Syrian border.
Battalgazi mayor Osman Guder told Haberturk television that 10 people had been taken to hospital and between 20 and 25 were believed to still be trapped inside.
Media reports later put the number of those rescued at 13, with two of the survivors suffering serious injuries.
Television images showed rescuers using construction diggers to remove large blocks of debris and trying to listen for signs of any survivors as the evening set in.
Witnesses said the building collapsed during planned repair work, trapping people in a coffee shop on the second floor.
“I heard a crack first and then the building collapsed. A cloud of dust emerged. It was like judgement day,” witness Turhan Cobanoglu told Haberturk.