Istanbul building collapse cause determined

ISTANBUL — Turkish officials blamed illegal construction practices for the collapse of an apartment building in Istanbul as they joined hundreds of mourners Saturday at a funeral for nine members of one family killed in the disaster.

As the overall death toll rose to 18, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said there were “many lessons to learn” from the tragedy. He said the government would take “determined” steps after investigators complete their work and called for speedy urban renewal.

Murat Kurum, Turkey’s minister for environment and urban planning, said the collapsed building had permits for only six floors. He said someone had illegally built its top two floors with low quality concrete and sea sand instead of construction-grade concrete and stronger steel.