A three-story dormitory housing female students collapsed in central Turkey early Friday, killing at least 17 people and injuring 27, AP quoted authorities saying. About half a dozen students were believed to be trapped under the rubble as frantic rescue workers removed debris with shovels, pickaxes and their bare hands. Mayor Mehmet Demirgul initially told reporters a large gas canister explosion was the likely cause of the collapse of the building in the village of Balcilar. However, the state-run Anatolia news agency and other reports later said the explosion was most likely caused by a leak from a gas installation there.
