Death Toll in Istanbul Residential Building Collapse Rises to 17

(Bloomberg) -- The death toll in the collapse of a seven-story building in Istanbul’s Kartal neighborhood rose to 17, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Saturday.

Among 13 wounded people that are being treated at the hospital, seven are in the intensive-care unit, Koca said, according to state-run news agency Anadolu.

The building collapsed on Feb. 6. Some 43 people were registered at the residential building, whose top three floors were constructed illegally, Anadolu cited Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya as saying on Wednesday.

“There are lots of lessons we need to learn from this incident,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit to the accident site on Saturday. “Prosecutors, ministers and the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority are still working on the issue. We will take the necessary steps decisively after they complete their work.”

Rescue squads are continuing their efforts as two or three more people may still be under the rubble, state TV channel TRT News reported on Saturday.

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