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Teenager pulled alive from ruins of Istanbul building two days after deadly collapse

At least 14 others still missing in block of flats disaster

Tim Wyatt
Friday 08 February 2019 11:41 EST
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Rescue workers at the site of the collapsed building in Istanbul
Rescue workers at the site of the collapsed building in Istanbul (EPA)

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A 16-year-old boy has been found alive in the rubble of a collapsed block of flats, two days after the building suddenly fell down.

The teenager was found by rescue workers in Istanbul, who were working their way through the apartment building.

Fourteen people have already been confirmed to have died in the disaster, which unfolded in the residential Kartal district.

The interior minister Suleyman Soylu said at least 11 more people were still missing in the collapsed eight-storey building.

The teenager who was pulled from the rubble alive was taken to hospital but there has not been any further update on his condition.

His rescue brought the number of those survivors found alive in the ruins of the flats to 14.

Specialist rescue teams, including sniffer dogs, are still working around the clock to try and locate more victims of the disaster, while friends and relatives of those unaccounted for anxiously wait nearby the wreckage.

“We hope to bring out those inside safely,” Mr Soylu told reporters at a press conference.

Anyone found to have caused the collapse would be held responsible, he also vowed.

Investigators are still looking into why the apartment block suddenly fell down, but one official has pointed the finger at unauthorised extensions.

Three extra storeys were reportedly added to the building without proper approval.

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The governor of Istanbul has also said a textile workshop was operating without a licence in the entrance to the flats.

While inquiries into the collapse continue, seven other buildings nearby have been evacuated as a precaution.

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