Mud-brick house collapse kills man
ONE person was killed and two people injured when the first floor of a mud-brick house in the village of Yiğitler collapsed in the middle of the night.
The tragedy occurred at 00.30 on Tuesday in the home belonging to the Özsağlam family. Police, paramedics and the Lefkoşa Fire Department were dispatched to the scene, with locals also helping with the rescue effort.
Sometime later, Yiğitler muhtar Raşit Özsağlam, 70, his wife Hacer Özsağlam, 65, and their daughter Müseret, 34, were pulled out from the rubble.
Mr Özsağlam was rushed to hospital by ambulance but died on the way, despite the best efforts of paramedics.
His wife and daughter were discharged from Gazimağusa State Hospital after treatment. The partial collapse of the building damaged a telephone pole in front the house and left a car buried under rubble. Police and municipal teams cordoned off the site.
A person who found Mr Özsağlam said: “We heard a loud noise . . . I saw that the muhtar’s house was destroyed. As anyone would, I immediately rushed to help.
“The mother and the daughter were removed through the downstairs window but we couldn’t find the muhtar at first.
“There was already chaos and it was pitch-black. Then I saw a bed mattress hanging down from the top floor and went towards it. When I looked just under the mattress, I saw Rasit Özsağlam’s leg and realised that he was under a lot of rubble.
“We immediately removed the muhtar and brought him to the road. He was breathing . . . when I rescued him. . . Unfortunately, despite all efforts, he could not be saved. I am very sorry.”
Müseret Özsağlam, who suffered only minor injuries, returned to the scene of destruction after being discharged from hospital.
She said that there were no indications that the house would collapse, “only some plaster had fallen off a few times and had been repaired”.
Municipal employees and police officers helped to remove valuable items from inside the partially collapsed house, including a bird inside a cage.
President Ersin Tatar, Prime Minister Ersan Saner and Değirmenlik Mayor Ali Karavezirler offered their condolences to the family of Mr Özsağlam, who was also a former member of the Turkish Resistance Organisation, TMT.
Mr Özsağlam was buried among tearful scenes at Yiğitler Cemetery on Wednesday with military honours. He had been the village muhtar for 27 years and was a father of three.