The cause of the fatal collapse of a seven-story building in Turkey in late October was the soil conditions in the area, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ömer Bulut said, quoted by "Hürriyet Daily News", BTA reported.
The building, located in the city of Gebze in the northwestern Turkish province of Kocaeli, collapsed on the morning of October 29, burying a family of five, of whom only an 18-year-old girl was pulled alive from the rubble. At the time, the city's mayor, Zinnur Büyükgöz, suggested that the incident might have been related to a nearby metro line under construction, but Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu denied any such connection.
"A structural inspection shows that the soil beneath the building has settled, which led to the collapse. The building has passed construction supervision, so it seems that the soil condition played a major role," said Ömer Bulut.
He added that the investigation will determine in detail the structural condition of the building and the characteristics of the soil.
The building collapsed, killing Levent and Emine Bilir and two of their children, while their 18-year-old daughter Dilara Bilir was rescued alive after almost eight hours under the rubble.
After the incident, 21 nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution.
According to Bulut, around 1,200 buildings in the area were inspected, with only the building next to the collapsed one showing significant damage.