Two people were recovered dead, including a 12-year-old boy, from the ruins of the 6-story apartment building that collapsed early in the morning in Gebze, an area about 60 km from Istanbul.

According to the Turkish media, the 18-year-old Dilara Bilir she was pulled out alive.

“In Gebze, unfortunately, the lifeless body was found of a boy in the ruins of the building” confirmed earlier from the scene of the tragedy the Deputy Minister of Interior Mehmet Aktas. The second body is not yet known to whom it belongs.

Under the rubble they are 2 other people are buriedi, all members of the same family.

627 people are participating in the search and rescue operation, of which 480 are rescuers.

According to Turkish media, a woman’s voice is heard through the wreckage.

The state-run Anadolu Agency reports that the cause of the building’s collapse is currently unknown.

However, the mayor of Gebze, Zinur Buyuggioz, speaking to local media, hinted that the collapse may be related to the subway construction in close proximity.

Gebze is located along the fault line of northern Anatolia and was one of the main centers hit during the 1999 magnitude 7.6 earthquake, which killed a total of about 18,000 people.