Frightening sight in Zonguldak! 54 flats were evacuated: I have been here for 30 years, we have never experienced anything like this

The security measures taken due to soil movement and cracks in the retaining wall in the area where one person died due to a building collapse in Zonguldak's Meşrutiyet District on October 21, were expanded.

The 54-flat complex, consisting of two blocks, was evacuated as a precaution on Saturday, November 7, as soil separation occurred at the top of the collapsed building on Sütliyen Street and in the garden of Gümüşevler Sitesi on Menekşe Street.

Zonguldak Municipality Police Department teams drew a security strip around the site today and did not allow citizens to pass. While security measures were maintained around the evacuated buildings, the residents of the site stated that they wanted the necessary precautions to be taken as soon as possible and to return to their homes.

CRACKS IN THE RETAINING WALL HAVE GROWN

Following the collapse of a part of the unused two-storey building in Meşrutiyet Mahallesi Sütliyen Street on October 17, the adjacent three-storey building also collapsed on October 21. 74-year-old Türkan Akçaharman Özhan, who was trapped under the rubble, lost his life, and his brother Kenan Akçaharman (68) was rescued from injuries.

Following the incident, 30 people living in 13 flats in 7 buildings in the surrounding area were evacuated, and then the 6-storey and 28-flat Kadırga Apartment was evacuated as a precaution. Due to the cracks in the retaining wall on Kadırga Street at the bottom of the collapsed building, rocks and soil were transported to the area by trucks and fortifications were built.

However, in the following days, separations and movements occurred at the connection points of the wall. As the cracks grew larger, re-fortification work was started on November 7. As the movement continued on the ground above the retaining wall and cracks formed in the soil in the garden of Gümüşevler Site, evacuation measures were extended to the buildings at the upper elevations.

"THEY EVACUATED US BECAUSE THE BUILDINGS BELOW WERE DESTROYED"

Sedat Yılmaz, one of the residents of Gümüşevler Sitesi, argued that they were not given sufficient explanation after the eviction decision. Stating that Mayor Tahsin Erdem came to the region and said that life safety is a priority, Yılmaz stated that the state helped them with housing.

Yılmaz said, "First of all, they told us about life safety. We have no problem with life safety. Thanks to our state, AFAD helped us. They are sheltering us in hotels and various places. God bless us, we don't say anything to that. But our building is solid. We say it again, they had to evacuate us just because the buildings below collapsed."

Claiming that they were not given sufficient information about the structural condition of the building, Yılmaz said, "We told the mayor, this is our solid building. We say it again. The municipality has no information about how this place was built or what it was built on. No one gave us information."

Yılmaz also stated that a meeting on the issue was held at the Governor's Office on November 10, and that the residents of the site are waiting to be informed about the status of their buildings.

"I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 30 YEARS, WE HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS"

Hüseyin Sarıkaya, who said that he has been a flat owner in Gümüşevler Sitesi for 30 years, claimed that the problems in the area arose after the construction works started in the lower part.

Sarıkaya said, "I have owned a flat here for 30 years. We have never experienced anything like this before. When the construction started downstairs, these problems started to occur and here we are today."

Stating that he thinks the retaining wall should be rebuilt, Sarıkaya said, "We want the retaining wall there to be demolished as soon as possible, if it is going to be demolished, but we want a new one to be built as soon as possible. This is the only way we can stop this landslide. Otherwise, it will pull up to the top. That is what we want."

"NEXT WINTER, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN"