Five-story building's balconies and wall collapse in Kartal, Istanbul

A five-story building in Istanbul's Kartal district partially collapsed early on July 26, sending debris onto parked cars and alarming residents. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. on Yıldız Street in the Esentepe neighborhood. Balconies on the third, fourth, and fifth floors, along with an upper wall, crumbled for reasons yet to be determined.

The loud noise from the collapse woke nearby residents, who rushed outside in panic. Emergency services, including firefighters, police, and municipal teams, responded to the scene. They found that debris had fallen on some vehicles parked on the street. Teams cleared the rubble and secured the building with metal barriers.

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This building has been like this for 4 weeks, and for 2 weeks, no action has been taken. They removed the scrap metal, but demolition has not been carried out.

Residents voiced their frustration and fear over the prolonged danger. "This building has been like this for 4 weeks, and for 2 weeks, no action has been taken," said Musa Keleş, who lives in an adjacent building. "They removed the scrap metal, but demolition has not been carried out." He added that the building's roof appears unstable, with cracking sounds continuing from other parts. "We are waiting under a danger. Our car is in the garden, there are children, there are citizens passing by," Keleş stated, highlighting the risk to public safety on the busy street.

Municipal teams continue to maintain security measures around the building while an investigation into the collapse has been launched. The building had been evacuated as part of an urban transformation project.

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We are waiting under a danger. Our car is in the garden, there are children, there are citizens passing by.