An eight-story apartment building has collapsed in the Turkish city Istanbul, trapping an unknown number of people in the debris.
Authorities said most residents escaped the building when they heard a cracking sound about half an hour before the collapse.
Rescue teams were at work on the scene in the residential Sirinevler district where a large crowd was gathered. The reason for the collapse was not immediately known.
Turkish media reported that there had been construction work underway nearby.
Past building collapses have been blamed on poor-quality construction which multiplied fatalities from earthquakes in 1999.
A building collapse on the outskirts of Istanbul earlier this year killed one person.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.