As efforts continue regarding the collapse of the bottom 3 floors of a 7-story building in Maltepe, Istanbul, Fatma Kaya, the operator of the textile workshop on the ground floor of the building, has made a statement. Denying allegations that columns were cut in the workshop, Kaya said, "There is absolutely no situation of cutting a column there."
Following the collapse that occurred early in the morning on Doğu Street in Cevizli neighborhood, fire, health, police, and search and rescue teams were dispatched to the area upon notification. During the debris removal efforts, the lifeless bodies of 2 people were recovered, while 10 people, including 3 children, were rescued with injuries. It was reported that efforts are ongoing to reach 2 people remaining under the rubble.
RESPONSE FROM THE OPERATOR TO THE COLUMN-CUTTING ALLEGATION
Kaya, who is stated to have previously recorded the cracks on the wall with her mobile phone camera, said that the shop was previously used as a baklava production facility, and that they only removed the large oven inside and had painting and whitewashing renovations done.
Kaya stated, "Before me, that place had been a baklava production site for years. I say about 3 tons, but maybe it was 2 tons, I don't know. It was a quite large oven. We only removed that oven and had painting and whitewashing renovations done inside. Other than that, there is no column cutting."
Stating that there were no machines in the workshop and that she did not need extra space, Kaya said, "I sell small jersey fabrics and fabric scraps. I even have before-and-after photos of the renovations I did to the shop. Such a thing is out of the question."
Explaining that the cracks in the building grew especially after April, Kaya said she took a video to convey this situation to the management. Saying, "After April, the cracks started to grow significantly. Recently, the cracks naturally grew even more, and cracks also started to form in the area outside," Kaya stated that she did not know whether the municipality had been notified.
While a definitive determination regarding why the building collapsed has not yet been made, search and rescue efforts by teams at the scene are continuing. It was reported that citizens whose relatives are in the rubble are continuing to wait in a safe area.
News Source: 12punto
