The 6-storey building with cracked column was evacuated!

Police, fire department, AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency), and medical teams were dispatched to the six-story Buhara Apartment Building in the Yenişehir district of Diyarbakır after reports of cracks forming in the columns and shaking. Teams took precautions for the building, which had previously been reported as minorly damaged following the earthquake. Police established a security cordon around the building, preventing entry. Residents were evacuated under the direction of police and the teams.

A DECISION ABOUT THE BUILDING WILL BE MADE AFTER THE INSPECTION

AFAD Provincial Director İlami Çakmak, Yenişehir District Police Chief, and District Governor Yunus Ataman arrived at the scene and conducted inspections. Some residents in the area were also evacuated to avoid potential risks. A decision on the structure's condition will be made following a technical inspection.

'THERE WERE NOISES BEFORE'

Ümit Canlı, who lives in the apartment building, claimed to have heard noises coming from the building before. He said, “I live on the ground floor. My wife called me and said, ‘There’s a problem with the walls.’ So I left work and ran home. I saw that the walls were separating from the limestone. I went outside the building. I looked at the columns. The columns had separated from each other. I immediately notified our manager. The manager came downstairs and looked. He then called AFAD. Thankfully, they came right away to help. Two days ago, at 2:00 a.m., I was sitting at home having tea when I heard a noise coming from the walls. I picked up my wife and said, ‘Let’s go outside.’ There were no flickering lights or anything. There was no earthquake. Then, in the morning, I looked at the walls and cracks started to appear. It must have gotten worse today. The damage was minimal, so I moved here thinking it was stable. Today it got worse.”

Source: DHA