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Rescue teams recovered the bodies of four family members from the rubble of a collapsed seven-story building in the Gebze district on Thursday, ending a nearly 19-hour search and rescue operation that left only the family's 18-year-old daughter alive.
The building on Issikgol Street in the Mevlana neighborhood collapsed early Wednesday morning around 7:30 a.m. for reasons yet to be determined.
The collapse claimed the lives of parents Levent and Emine Bilir and two of their three children, while their eldest daughter Dilara Bilir, 18, was rescued alive with her condition assessed as good.
Deputy Interior Minister Mehmet Aktas confirmed the recovery of the parents' bodies on Wednesday evening. "Unfortunately, we reached the bodies of the mother and father. The bodies of father Levent Bilir and mother Emine Bilir were also removed," Aktas said.
The massive search and rescue effort began immediately after the building's collapse. Teams working throughout Wednesday and into Thursday morning initially recovered the bodies of two younger children: 12-year-old Muhammet Emir and 14-year-old Hayrunnisa.
Approximately eight hours after beginning their search, rescue teams extracted the eldest daughter, Dilara, alive from the rubble. She was conscious and in good health when removed and was transported to a hospital for observation.
Following the recovery of the children, rescue teams concentrated their efforts on locating the parents. After approximately 19 hours of continuous work, teams recovered father Levent Bilir's body, followed shortly by mother Emine Bilir's body. Both were transported by stretcher to Gebze Fatih State Hospital morgue.
Deputy Interior Minister Aktas detailed the scope of the rescue operation, saying, "Approximately 628 search and rescue personnel were part of a total of 913 personnel who worked with utmost dedication and raced against time."
"A total of 161 rescue vehicles, 6 dogs, 10 seismic rubble detection and listening devices were used. Very professional and intensive work was carried out. At this point, search and rescue operations have been completed," Aktas said.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported that 946 personnel, 208 vehicles, 10 rubble detection devices, 3 drones, and 10 search and rescue dogs were dispatched to the scene.
AFAD Deputy Chairman Hamza Tasdelen, Emergency Response General Director Sadi Ergin, and multiple department heads traveled to Gebze to coordinate the operation.
Teams periodically stopped work to maintain silence and conduct listening operations to detect any signs of life. Rescue workers reinforced columns with wooden blocks and created openings in the rubble to reach the section where the family members were located.
Deputy Interior Minister Aktas reported that 12 surrounding buildings were evacuated as a precautionary measure. The evacuated buildings housed 45 families total.
"From these families, 9 families consisting of 23 people are being accommodated at our Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality facilities, while others went to relatives' homes," Aktas said.
The surrounding area was cordoned with metal barriers, and Issikgol Street was closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic to enable rescue teams to work unobstructed.
The rescued 18-year-old daughter, Dilara Bilir, was transferred to the hospital, where her general health condition was assessed as good.
According to reports, she was being kept under intensive care as a precautionary measure.
Deputy Interior Minister Aktas expressed gratitude to the rescuers while mourning the family's losses.
"Unfortunately, 4 members of our 5-member family have passed away. Only Dilara, our 18-year-old eldest daughter, was rescued alive, but the other family members—mother, father, and 2 children—unfortunately passed away. Our condolences to them, may Allah grant them mercy. We wish Dilara health and wellness from Allah," Aktas said.
Gebze Mayor Zinnur Buyukgoz said the building was constructed in 2012 as a residential structure. The seven-story building contained duplex apartments on upper floors and a pharmacy on the ground floor.
The five-member family occupied an apartment on the second floor.
The cause of the building's collapse remains undetermined. Governor Ilhami Aktas stated that the cause has not yet been determined and that search and rescue operations remained the top priority at the time of the initial announcement.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunc announced that the Republic's Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has appointed an expert committee consisting of civil engineers, a geophysicist, and an architect to investigate all aspects of the incident.
"The expert committee will conduct investigations at the rubble site, and the judicial investigation will continue in accordance with the report to be prepared," Tunc said.
In initial reports Wednesday morning, Governor Aktas stated that five family members—all from the same family—were believed to be trapped under the debris. The family consisted of parents and three children ranging in age from 12 to 18 years old.
Gebze Mayor Buyukgoz initially reported that two families totaling seven people lived in the building, but one family was outside the city at the time of the collapse, leaving five people inside the structure.
AFAD confirmed in an official statement that search and rescue operations resulted in recovery of four deceased citizens and rescue of one injured person who was transported to hospital.
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