The Turkish Police announced the arrest of 12 people for the collapse of buildings in the provinces of Gaziantep and Sanliurfa, in Turkey, due to the large-magnitude earthquakes on Monday.
Among those detained are contractors, according to the news agency DHA.
At least 6,000 buildings collapsed after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, killing more than 25,000, sparking outrage over the poor quality of housing.
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More arrests are expected after the prosecutor in Diyarbakir, one of the 10 southeastern provinces hit by the quake, issued arrest warrants for 29 people on Saturday, the state news agency reported.
One of those arrested on Saturday is a building contractor in Gaziantep, the same source said, adding that he was found by police in Istanbul.
Prosecutors have launched a wave of investigations in the affected provinces. The Turkish Ministry of Justice ordered prosecutors from all 10 provinces to establish “special divisions for investigation of earthquake-related crimes.”
One of the best-known arrests was that of the promoter of a 12-story tower in Hatay province, southern Turkey.
It is estimated that at least 800 people were left under the rubble of the “Rönesans” residence, built to house 250 apartments.
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The promoter managed to be detained at the Istanbul airport when he was trying to move to Montenegro, and he also had a significant amount of money.
The luxury residence, which was presented on social networks as “a paradise corner”, completely collapsed due to the earthquake, which affected Turkey and Syria and left a total of more than 23,000 dead.
According to Turkish media, among the victims of the collapse were the Ghanaian Hatayspor footballer Christian Atsu, and the team’s sports director, Taner Savut.
Rescue teams are still working on the scene to try to find survivors.
“Investigations into the collapsed buildings are ongoing. Those responsible will be pointed out and must be held accountable before the courts,” Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Friday.
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Despite the fact that many construction regulations were established in Turkey, the earthquake revealed that many do not adhere to them.
According to an official count, more than 12,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged by the earthquake in Turkey, where more than 20,000 people died.
Taking into account the intensity of the earthquake (7.8), “we could fear damage, but not what we are seeing today,” seismic engineer Mustafa Erdik, president of the Turkish Earthquake Foundation, told AFP.
“Here we see a collapse with plants piling on top of each other,” leaving the occupants little chance of survival.
The collapse is generally due to poor quality concrete, too wet, with a proportion of water and gravel that is too high in relation to cement.
And the steel bars are often too thin to support the columns, which determine the strength of the building, says engineering professor Zihni Tekin.
But this consultant linked to the Istanbul Technical University also points to the low qualification of the country’s engineers and architects.
The authorities are the first to take their licenses with the rules, he says.
The regulations, modeled on California’s, have been regularly reviewed since the 1999 earthquake in Izmit (northwest), which left 17,000 victims. The last modification was applied in 2018.
“On paper, the rules are respected, with contracts assigned to private companies in charge of controlling them,” says Istanbul architect Aykut Köksal.
“But each builder does his own” in a kind of negotiation between the two parties that offers too much laxity to the promoter, he points out. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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