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Update: Two buildings collapse in Istanbul, no causalities reported

Xinhua, February 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

Two five-story buildings in Istanbul's busiest Taksim district collapsed on Friday with no casualties reported.

One building which was used as a guest house totally collapsed, while another one next to it partially toppled.

"I first saw rocks rolling and heard the noise of shaking," said Fatih Erol, the owner of a barber shop next to the buildings. "We understood that the buildings were going to collapse and we started to shout to the people who were inside to go out," he added.

People managed to evacuate the buildings just minutes before the collapses, Erol added.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin arrived at the scene soon and announced no casualties, citing "preliminary reports."

The cause of the collapses was not clear yet.

The collapsed buildings were located in a small street of the Istiklal Avenue, a main touristic neighborhood in Istanbul. Endit