In central Turkey, a 10-story building collapsed on Monday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 28 others.
On Tuesday, rescue teams used drills and their bare hands to search for survivors. According to one station, an explosion in the building's heater may have caused the collapse in the central city of Konya.
CNN-Turk reported the building was about 10 years old. There were shops on the bottom floor of the building, which were closed.
At least 70 more people were believed to be trapped in the rubble, said Konya Governor Ahmet Kayhan. CNN-Turk television reported that the number could be as high as 150.
Emergency workers and some officials suggested that poor construction was to blame. The floors of the building had mostly collapsed on top of each other, leaving a pile of concrete roughly two stories high.
"I don't see much chance of life," said Hakan Korkut, an official of the private search and rescue team, AKUT. "The concrete cannot be removed intact because it crumbles."
Among the survivors pulled from the debris overnight were a mother and her two daughters. A 2-year-old girl, however, was among the dead, officials said.
The building had 138 residents in 37 apartments, officials said, but it was unclear how many people were in the building at the time of the collapse.
On Saturday in Istanbul, two wooden buildings collapsed, killing six people and injuring one other. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
