Four people were injured when a common terrace of a luxury restaurant on the Bosphorus in Besiktas, Istanbul collapsed.
The collapse of the terrace into the sea was caused by the removal of columns in the glazed part of the ground floor of the 3-storey restaurant in the elite Arnavutkoy district.
Fifteen customers who were eating in this section fell overboard. The four people, who were pulled from the water by restaurant staff and other patrons, were taken to hospital by emergency medical teams. Police teams began searching the scene and cordoned off the area.
Traffic on the busy road along the Bosphorus, on which the plant is located, is carried out in one lane.
The statement by the regional governor of Besiktas said:
“On Friday around 21:00, 4 of our citizens were injured when a terrace collapsed in an establishment at ‘Bebek Arnavutköy’ street in our neighbourhood. The victims were transferred to the hospital by emergency crews and, according to initial information received, they are out of danger of life. The necessary security measures have been taken in the area and an investigation has been launched into the matter”.
Hasan Gezici, one of the eyewitnesses who tried to save those who fell into the sea, told the Demiroren news agency: “Suddenly I heard voices and screams. At first I thought a car had exploded in the sea. Then I understood that the sounds were coming from the restaurant. I thought there was a blockage inside. I saw that there were people in the sea. The front of the terrace collapsed and fell into the water. People eating at the restaurant fell into the sea There were at least 15-20 people in the water. I wanted to intervene, but the employees had already rushed to help their customers. They were taking people out of the water. A large group of soaked people were trying to get to shore. There was great emotion. Some couldn’t swim and cried helplessly. It’s a real miracle that nobody died,” he added.
Erol Kaigi shared, “We were fishing. We heard screams. The terrace started to gradually collapse. People fell one by one into the sea. There were at least 15 people. Everyone from the area rushed there for help. They pulled people out, having difficulty taking them by the hands. There were no casualties. If the glass roof of the terrace had also fallen, there would have been casualties or serious injuries. It is good that only the platform collapsed”.
It is understood that the establishment had previously been sealed off by teams from the Istanbul municipality, which twice found a breach during recent renovations, but the owners ignored the bans and continued to court customers.
