Police secure the way to a site where two residential buildings collapsed in Istanbul, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
ISTANBUL (AP) — A natural gas explosion in Istanbul’s central Fatih district brought down two buildings on Sunday.
Search and rescue personnel were immediately dispatched to the site of the noon explosion, and determined nine people were caught under the rubble.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said they had recovered seven people, who are undergoing treatment in nearby hospitals. State-run news channel TRT reported an eighth has also been recovered and sent to hospital. Rescue operations are still working to find the final person.
TRT reports that none of the survivors is in critical condition.
One of the collapsed buildings was two stories, the other one.
Rescue teams and firefighters search the site where two residential buildings collapsed in Istanbul, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Police secure the way to a site where two residential buildings collapsed in Istanbul, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Rescue teams and firefighters search the site where two residential buildings collapsed in Istanbul, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Rescue teams and firefighters search the site where two residential buildings collapsed in Istanbul, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
