Builders killed as lift crashes in Turkey, triggering protests over work safety
Hundreds protest over country's lax workplace safety measures after 32-floor fall kills workers
Riot police yesterday fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters in Istanbul, a day after 10 workers were killed when a lift crashed to the ground from the 32nd storey of a building.
"This is not an accident, this is not a destiny, this is murder!" the crowd shouted, at the first major confrontation between demonstrators and the authorities since Recep Tayyip Erdogan was inaugurated as president last month.
Authorities said an investigation had been launched into the incident at the Torunlar Centre.
The exact cause of the accident remains unclear. There have been claims the elevator broke down two weeks ago and that workers were awaiting funds to repair it.
"I lost my two sons," said father-of-six Mithat Kara, who sat in tears at the construction site.