Death toll in Istanbul building collapse rises to 10: governor

ISTANBUL: The death toll from the collapse of an eight-storey building in Istanbul rose to 10 on Thursday, while 13 others were injured, the governor's office for the Turkish city said.

The residential building, in the Kartal district on the Asian side of the city, collapsed on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear why the building had collapsed.

More bodies were pulled from the rubble on Thursday afternoon raising the death toll to 10, the office of Governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement. It said 13 others were injured.

There were 43 people registered in 14 apartments at the address, but the top three floors of the building had been built illegally, the governor said on Wednesday. He said there was a textile workshop operating without a licence at the entrance.

Initial footage from the incident showed people being pulled out of the rubble as crowds surrounded the site. Seven buildings around the collapse site have been evacuated for security reasons.