Istanbul Building Collapse, Four Workers Dead Under Rubble, Six Injured In Commercial Structure Failure

Istanbul, Turkey— A three-story commercial building undergoing interior renovation collapsed onto itself at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday in the Bağcılar district, killing four workers and injuring six others who were inside and on the sidewalk.

The structure, built in the 1990s as a textile workshop, was being converted into a warehouse and retail space. Witnesses said they heard cracking from the second floor, then the entire front facade dropped. A cloud of dust covered the street.

Four workers on the second floor were buried under concrete slabs and steel beams. AFAD search teams located them with thermal cameras but could not reach them in time. All four were pronounced dead at the scene. Six others were pulled out with fractures and cuts.

"The columns were cut to make a bigger opening for forklifts. The owner told them to remove a load-bearing wall," said a neighboring shopkeeper who watched the renovation for weeks. His account has not been verified by authorities.

Istanbul Governor’s office said the building had a renovation permit but not for structural changes. Municipal engineers had issued a warning last month about unauthorized work. A stop-work order was reportedly posted but ignored.

"The permit was for interior work only. Any removal of structural elements requires separate approval. That approval was never requested," a municipal building inspector said at the site.

AFAD, fire brigades, and municipal teams worked with cranes and excavators to stabilize the pile and prevent collapse of an adjacent building. The street was closed and power cut to the block.

Relatives of the victims gathered behind police tape as bodies were carried out. The Istanbul prosecutor’s office detained the building owner and the site foreman for questioning on charges of causing death by negligence.

Turkey has faced repeated building collapses tied to illegal modifications and weak enforcement, especially in older commercial districts. Engineers association TMMOB called for mandatory on-site supervision for any structural alteration.

The area will remain sealed while a technical committee examines concrete samples and reinforcement plans. A full report is expected within a week.