Dormitory collapse kills 16 students in Turkey

01/08/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- A girls' dormitory collapsed in the central province of Konya early Friday (August 1st), killing at least 16 students and injuring 24, authorities said. Up to six students may be trapped under the rubble. The explosion of a large gas canister may have caused the collapse, Mayor Mehmet Demirgul said. Over 40 girls aged between 8 and 16 were sleeping in the dormitory, which belongs to a religious foundation. The students were attending Koran courses during their summer recess. (Hurriyet, CNN Turk, NTV, Anadolu news agency, AFP, AP, RIA Novosti, BBC - 01/08/08)