3 people pulled from the rubble after hours of work: The moment of rescue caught on camera

The efforts of rescue teams at the collapsed building in Konya yielded results at the end of the 5th hour.

At the end of the work carried out by an extremely large team, 2 people were pulled from the rubble.

STATEMENT FROM INTERIOR MINISTER YERLİKAYA

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 2 people had been pulled alive from the rubble of the 4-story building that collapsed in Konya, and that contact had been established with a third person.

Minister Yerlikaya arrived at the scene in the evening to inspect the search and rescue operations at the site of the building that collapsed on Beyşehir Street in the Selçuk neighborhood of the central Selçuklu district.

Holding a meeting with officials regarding the operations, Yerlikaya told reporters here that the Taşoluk Apartment building collapsed at 20:05 for unknown reasons.

Yerlikaya stated that all search and rescue teams arrived at the scene within 10 minutes, saying, "Search and rescue operations began in the rubble of this collapsed building within 10 minutes. A total of 962 personnel and 216 vehicles from AFAD, the fire department, police, gendarmerie, 112, UMKE, the Red Crescent, AKUT, and our NGOs are currently continuing search and rescue efforts. In other words, all state institutions and organizations, our metropolitan and district municipalities, and expert search and rescue teams from 12 provinces arriving under AFAD coordination are trying to reach lives in the rubble."

"79 PEOPLE RESIDE IN THE BUILDING"

Explaining that they first checked how many people lived in the apartment according to the Address-Based Population Registration System, Yerlikaya stated that 79 people resided in the building according to the records.

Pointing out that these registered residents were reached by phone by the Konya Metropolitan Municipality, police, population registry, and the Presidency of Migration Management, Yerlikaya said:

"Each one was called individually. They were called multiple times, and each one was checked. We saw that 2 people living inside had escaped by their own means at 20:05, 5 people remained inside, and we spoke to each of the others by phone. Let us give you some good news just now; we heard 2 ambulance sirens. Our search and rescue teams rescued 2 living people after 4 hours and 15 minutes of work. We currently believe there are 3 people under the rubble. If there is someone else with them whom we do not know about, beyond those we confirmed via address and phone checks, the number might be higher, but our assessment is that we believe there are 3 lives under the rubble. One more piece of good news: after 2 people were rescued alive, our AFAD president just brought good news that one more person is alive. Our hope is to reach them as soon as possible. Regarding the other two, we are conducting a scan for a body behind the concrete rubble. We have not been able to locate them yet."

Stating that they are working intensively to reach the other 2 people under the rubble, Yerlikaya continued:

"We have not been able to locate them yet. I am being this clear with you, but we have a very strong search and rescue team and equipment. We believe that we will quickly determine their locations and intensify our efforts to reach them as soon as possible. I wish health to the citizens who were rescued and rushed to the hospital by ambulance just now. I say get well soon. We hope they regain their health as soon as possible. In the coming hours, we will share detailed information about their health status with you from our Provincial Health Directorate. As I just stated, we are working selflessly to reach the 3rd citizen whom we believe is alive inside. We will share developments with you moment by moment. It is 01:37 at night. We are all here, and you are here too. Our hope is to reach the other lives. I want to express that all of our prayers are with them."

Emphasizing that contact has been established with the third person and that they are focused on finding the other 2 known individuals, Yerlikaya assessed, "We have not yet determined where they are under the rubble, but as I said, our friends are working with radar devices to find out where they are. When they are found, when the location is determined, search and rescue will focus entirely there. At this point, our friends from AFAD and the accredited NGOs are truly experts in their fields. We reached this point in 4 hours. This is our prayer and our hope. You can see our effort. Hopefully, we want to give you good news."

Upon a reporter's question, Minister Yerlikaya stated that the building received its construction permit in 1992 and its occupancy permit in 1994, that they would investigate the incident from every angle, and that prosecutors assigned by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office were in the area, saying, "The cause of this will definitely be uncovered and shared with you. Likewise, an administrative investigation has been launched. That will also continue on one hand. The only thing I am trying to do right now with my colleagues is to reach the lives inside. To hear the ambulance siren again, just as we heard it a moment ago. This is what we are focused on right now."

"OUR PROSECUTORS WILL UNCOVER EVERYTHING ONE BY ONE"

Regarding a reporter's question about the third person with whom contact was established, Minister Yerlikaya said, "As we were preparing to make a press statement, our AFAD president told me that good news, so everything is very new, but we are racing against time. Our hope regarding the third person is to get them into an ambulance safe and sound and send them to the hospital as soon as possible."

Yerlikaya said they would provide written information regarding how many people remained under the rubble, as well as their identities and ages.

Responding to a question about the health status of the people pulled from the rubble, Yerlikaya said, "Our friends in search and rescue, and AFAD, have told me that they are talking to them visually, that they have made contact, and that they are doing well, but we have just pulled them from under the rubble; at this stage, we are not saying anything about their health status, we are just expressing what we see visually and what we are talking about. I will instruct our Provincial Health Director, who will make a statement to you from there after the examination at the hospital; we are also curious."

When asked about allegations that columns were cut in the shops on the ground floor of the collapsed building, Minister Yerlikaya said:

"They also mentioned this allegation at the crisis center, but what did I tell you? The 4 prosecutors assigned here by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office will detail each of these allegations one by one. Time is needed. It has been 4.5 hours since the incident. Therefore, every kind of allegation will definitely be pursued, and the truth will come out. Whatever fault or negligence there is, each of these will definitely enter the file and the necessary actions will be taken. Be sure that our prosecutors will uncover each of these allegations one by one. If there is fault, negligence, or something else, we will all learn it together."

ONE MORE PERSON RESCUED AT 03:00 AFTER THE MINISTER'S STATEMENT

Following the statements of Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the teams, who stated that one more person was alive under the rubble, continued their work and managed to pull the third person from the rubble two hours after their first rescue.

3 PEOPLE RESCUED ALIVE

The first good news from the teams came in the 5th hour of the search and rescue efforts carried out in the rubble of the collapsed building.

After establishing contact by phone, the teams, who focused their work on a specific area, reached 3 people sitting in a life triangle under the rubble.

Then, UMKE teams first pulled Halid Elcezar (53) and then his nephew Muhammed Elcezar (23) alive from the piles of rubble.

The 2 injured, who were carried to the safe zone via a human chain formed from the rubble area to the safe zone, were taken to the hospital by ambulance after intervention by medical teams waiting at the scene. The other person under the rubble was also rescued alive after the work and taken to the hospital.

STATEMENT FROM MINISTER YERLİKAYA AFTER THE THIRD PERSON WAS PULLED ALIVE FROM THE COLLAPSED BUILDING IN KONYA

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that the third person had been pulled alive from the rubble of the collapsed building in Konya, and that they were carrying out intensive work to reach the other 2 people, including search and rescue dogs in the efforts.

Following the rescue of the third person alive from the rubble of the building that collapsed in the evening on Beyşehir Street in the Selçuk neighborhood of the central Selçuklu district, Yerlikaya stated to reporters that the 17-year-old youth who was rescued was conscious.

Emphasizing that the work is continuing without interruption, Yerlikaya said, "Our friends said good things in their initial examination. We are very happy. We are currently making an intense effort to reach the other two lives. We are not stopping. We will not stop until we reach them too. My esteemed Professor (Provincial Health Director Mehmet Koç) gave very good news about the two lives rescued earlier."

"THEIR LIVES ARE NOT IN DANGER"

Upon a reporter's question about the nationality of the rescued citizens, Yerlikaya said, "It has become clear. All 5 of those remaining under the rubble are Syrian. You want more details right now, and you are right. In a little while, within an hour, our friends, our Governor is preparing, will give everything. That is, we will give details about all 79 registered residents. Let us pray; at this hour, you and we are waiting patiently for our friends in search and rescue to give good news. Three lives have been saved. My esteemed professor just gave the good news. Let us reach the others too. We will make our final assessment all together in the morning."

Stating that search and rescue dogs are also in the rubble and that a difficult task is ongoing, Yerlikaya noted the following:

"Since this is a house with a stove, there is a fire where the wood and coal are on the floor, as our friends stated. Of course, since there is rubble on top, water cannot easily reach there. Therefore, it is burning slowly from below, and it is also making working conditions difficult. While we are having trouble breathing here, we also see what great sacrifice our search and rescue friends are working with there, without stopping or pausing. We are grateful to each of them. They are our heroes. They are currently estimating their locations. We are waiting for a development regarding detailing this and where they should focus, and regarding the search and rescue dogs."

Provincial Health Director Mehmet Koç also stated regarding the injured who were rescued after approximately 5 hours of work and taken to the hospital, "Their general condition is good, they are conscious. Their examinations are currently continuing, their X-rays are being taken. Detailed investigations are continuing. Their lives are not in danger."