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Clearance operations have concluded at the site of a seven-storey building in Maltepe, Istanbul, whose lower three floors collapsed earlier this week. Five people died in the incident, according to officials.

After on-site inspections carried out under an investigation opened by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Maltepe municipality teams brought in metal barriers. Municipal police fenced off the entire plot, set up police tape in several spots and closed the area to traffic after removing construction machinery from the site.

Firefighters, AFAD, UMKE, police and medical teams were dispatched to the scene on Doğu Street in Cevizli neighborhood. Residents trapped on the upper floors that did not collapse were evacuated, while search and rescue efforts were launched for 14 people under the rubble. Nine were pulled out alive, while five others died — four at the scene and one in hospital.

As part of the ongoing inquiry, the building's architect and construction site foreman were arrested. The building's owner, identified as D.B., was reported to have died in 2016.

Key Takeaways

• Debris removal at the partially collapsed seven-storey building in Maltepe has been completed and the site is now fenced off.
• Five people died and nine were rescued from the rubble; residents on the upper floors were evacuated safely.
• The building's architect and construction site foreman have been arrested as part of the investigation.