Two buildings collapsed in Istanbul due to gas explosion

A suspected gas explosion struck Istanbul’s Fatih district on Sunday, causing two adjacent buildings to collapse and resulting in one fatality. Rescue crews pulled multiple people from the wreckage, with roughly ten individuals transported to hospitals. Among them, one was said to be in serious condition.

Officials indicated that the blast began in one of the buildings and led to the collapse of the neighboring structure. Emergency response teams, including disaster units, firefighters, and medical personnel, were rapidly sent to the scene to carry out search and rescue efforts. Authorities later confirmed that those trapped under the debris had been recovered and taken for treatment, while teams continued searching for a few others still unaccounted for. Furthermore, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül visited the area and checked on the injured at nearby hospitals. Early assessments point to a natural gas leak as the likely cause of the explosion.

Fatih is considered one of Istanbul’s more at-risk districts when it comes to structural safety. Much of its building stock is quite old and predates current earthquake-resistant standards, leaving it more vulnerable. The area’s dense layout and ground conditions add to these concerns, and many buildings have not yet been updated through urban renewal programs. Research by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality suggests that tens of thousands of homes in the district may be at risk.