Five-story building collapses in central İstanbul

The building collapsed in a small side street close to İstanbul's pedestrian İstiklal Avenue, a main shopping district, reducing much of it to rubble. Police sealed off the area, Today's Zaman informs.

İstanbul Governor Vasip Şahin told reporters that "according to preliminary inspections there isn't anyone inside."
He added that people near the building realized that it was about to collapse due to the noise and warned people inside. "Our hope is that there wasn't anyone inside," said the governor.
Mayor Misbah Demircan said "people at the car park felt the shaking and they made people vacate the area," crediting them with preventing a disaster.