Rescue crews work to free people trapped under a collapsed apartment building in Istanbul

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Rescue crews work to free people trapped under a collapsed apartment building in Istanbul

ISTANBUL (AP) — Emergency workers were trying to rescue people trapped under a collapsed apartment building in Istanbul on Sunday.

TV images showed firefighters shifting rubble by hand from the flattened three-story building in Kucukcekmece on the city’s European side. Two injured people were pulled from the debris, broadcaster CNN Turk reported.

The Istanbul governor’s office said the structure collapsed at 8:40 a.m. local time (0545 GMT). The cause was not immediately clear.

More than 59,000 people were killed last year when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck parts of southern Turkey and neighboring Syria. The disaster highlighted the poor enforcement of building regulations in Turkey.

Credit: Rescue crews work to free people trapped under a collapsed apartment building in Istanbul