'Door fell onto baby's crib' report leads to building being sealed: 'Until further information'

Police, AFAD, and municipal police teams were dispatched to the scene following a report that one of the interior doors of an apartment belonging to Umut Dalka, located in an apartment building on Yazır Street in the Kökez neighborhood, had come off its hinges and fallen onto the crib where his 5-month-old baby was sleeping.

The 33 people living in the 3-story building, which contains 9 apartments, were evacuated by the teams on duty, and the building was sealed. Municipal police surrounded the building with iron barriers. Some residents took their aquariums or their Qurans with them, while children were forced to leave their homes along with their toys.

"CLOSED UNTIL INFORMATION IS RECEIVED"

Serik Deputy Mayor Fatih Hamza Çimen stated in his explanation to journalists, "Previously, no information had been received in expert reports indicating damage to the building's load-bearing system. Currently, observational inspections have revealed cracks in the building. As a precautionary measure, the building has been closed for use for the sake of life and property safety until a report confirming the building is sound or information is received by our institution. That is the extent of the situation."

Apartment resident Umut Dalka said, "We bought this building in 2018. Problems started to emerge in the building in early 2020. We filed complaints with judicial authorities. In August 2023, an expert report was issued stating that renovations would be carried out on the ground floors of this building.

Two apartments on the ground floor were sealed. We did not receive any evacuation order. Despite 19 months passing, no information was provided by official authorities. No reinforcement work was done on the house. An inspection was carried out.

During the inspection, the expert said that renovations would not save this building and it needed to be demolished. But even though it was called a renovation, not a single nail was driven. They are waiting for us to die. Because the building's balance was lost, the door fell along with its frame onto my 5-month-old baby. We could have lost our child," he said.

His wife, Serpil Dalka, also said, "We were very scared. We didn't know what to do. Nothing will come of this building. We want it to be demolished and rebuilt."

It was learned that due to cracks appearing in the building in 2020, the residents had applied to judicial authorities to file a complaint against the contractor, and that in 2023, it was determined that renovations were needed on the ground floors of the building, but no action had been taken on the building.