Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Imamoglu: ‘1 and a half floors of illegal construction have been built on top of the licensed building’

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who examined the debris of a collapsed 3-story building in Kucukcekmece, stated, ‘It is a building with a business place underneath and residential use on top. An illegal 1.5-story construction, close to 2 floors, has been built on top of the licensed building. It is a structure burdened with illegal construction. The building collapsed on its own around 08:40 in the morning, trapping 9 people underneath. Unfortunately, we lost one person. 2 of the 8 citizens are severely injured.’ Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu conducted inspections at the debris of the collapsed 3-story building in Kucukcekmece. Following the inspections, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu made statements to the press, saying, ‘The building has a license from 1988. It is a building with a business place underneath and residential use on top. Unfortunately, an illegal 1.5-story construction, close to 2 floors, has been built on top of the licensed building. We consulted with the Mayor of Kucukcekmece as well. There were no complaints or reports. Unfortunately, it is a structure burdened with illegal construction. As it is from 1988, the construction techniques of that time reveal the poor workmanship and materials used in many buildings from the 1980s and 1970s when you see the column or beam structure. The building collapsed on its own around 08:40 in the morning, trapping 9 people underneath. Unfortunately, we lost one person. 2 of the 8 citizens are severely injured. The inspections are ongoing. Evacuations were also carried out in the neighboring building. Both Kucukcekmece and our teams are present. We just had consultations with the District Governor and our Governor. As quickly as possible, in a practical way, municipal teams will gather including the surrounding area to see if there is a scanned area. If not done, they will take action today. As quickly as possible, the physical conditions of the nearby buildings will be reviewed and necessary measures will be taken with the support of our District Governor and Governor.’ He also spoke about the increasing risk of an earthquake, saying, ‘The earthquake risk is increasing day by day. The issue of the expected Istanbul earthquake is at our doorstep. We are in a situation where we cannot calculate its day, hour, or second. The earthquake issue of our Istanbul is an important issue. The solution to this issue is being able to act together. It is necessary to manage the process with a single and strong understanding that puts the will forward. We had previously stated this in our meetings with the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. There is no concept or distinction such as district municipality, metropolitan municipality, district governorship, governorship, ministry. It should be examined alone and in a comprehensive manner and managed with a strong presidency, structure in Istanbul specifically. It can be extended to the Marmara Region. We fully support the structuring where rapid decisions, actions are taken and all sectors from finance to insurance are involved. When its legal infrastructure matures jointly, we will support it to the end and I had conveyed this to both our current Minister of Urbanization and the former Minister of Urbanization. I still believe that Istanbul can succeed with such a solution journey. Of course, every institution is doing everything in its power. It is non-partisan, above parties. The ground for establishing such a presidency, non-partisan policy can be matured. Everyone does not speak here and there. They speak and make decisions in a single hall, a single council. Istanbul Earthquake Presidency, Istanbul Earthquake Council, or whatever can be established. The solution lies here. I repeat my call again. Everyone is working hard, congratulations to everyone, but it is not enough for Istanbul. The number of problematic buildings is still high. At this pace, we cannot finish this in 40-50 years. The risk of an earthquake is increasing day by day. I announce through you once again that we need to solve the issue in this way. We would be soldiers of such a formation and process. The Ministry will be the commander and coordinator of this work. Each of us would be a stakeholder in this work. In the meantime, a citizen of Turkmenistan lost his life. We extend our condolences. We wish urgent recovery to the injured. My colleagues are following the processes from different hospitals. Starting with the fire department, our municipal police, AFAD, and other units all worked hand in hand in a fast-paced manner to bring the situation under control. Congratulations to all of them for their efforts.’