Turkey's president mourned with hundreds of people who attended the funeral Saturday for nine members of a family killed in the eight-story building collapse in Istanbul as the overall death toll increased to 17.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials attended the funeral prayers for the Alemdar family following the president's first visit to the site of Wednesday's tragedy, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Five other members of the Alemdar family, including two children, remain among the hospitalized.
The cause of Wednesday's collapse is under investigation but officials have said the top three floors of the building in the Kartal district were built illegally.
"In this area, we have faced a very serious problem with illegal businesses like this done to make more money," Erdogan told reporters outside a hospital. Thirteen people remain hospitalized with seven of them in serious condition.
According to AP, Erdogan said there were "many lessons to learn," and the government would take "steps in a determined way" after investigators complete their work.
