ISTANBUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and two others remained trapped after a building partially collapsed in Istanbul on Thursday, the Istanbul governor's office said.
The seven-story building, home to 33 people, was built in 1987 in the Maltepe district on the city's Asian side. Its lower three floors caved in early in the morning for unknown reasons, the office said in a statement.
Ten people have been rescued from the rubble, while most other residents have been safely evacuated, it added.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul told reporters at the scene that rescue teams were working through tunnels dug underneath to reach those trapped, and that the building would be demolished in a controlled manner to reduce structural weight from above.
Gul added that investigations had been launched to determine the cause.
The building's architect and site chief have been detained, local broadcaster TRT reported. ■