Turkish authorities jailed more than 100 construction contractors, who may have caused the fallen buildings and fatalities, as the death toll from Monday's Turkey-Syria earthquake nears the 30,000 mark.
Turkey's justice ministry established the "Earthquake Crimes Investigation Units," resulting in more than 100 being detained this week for having failed to meet construction codes, according to Forbes, which cited information from the New York Times and Andalou Agency.
Turkey's health ministry estimates the death toll from the 7.8 magnitude Turkey earthquake reached 24,617 Saturday.
The earthquake death toll in government-controlled regions in northern Syria remains at 1,347, with 2,295 others injured, according to Syria's health ministry-though the office has not updated its estimates since February 9.
The Syrian Civil Defense noted the number of fatalities in the northwest region of the nation where rebels are based has risen to 2,167.
UN Aid Official Urge World To Remember Turkey-Syria Earthquake Victims
On Saturday, UN assistance director Martin Griffiths urged people to remember thousands of earthquake survivors who lacked shelter and food while rescuers searched southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Speaking during a news briefing in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras, Griffiths said he spoke to families displaced and left freezing and starving by the Turkey-Syria earthquake, per Reuters.
The UN official told members of the press that he will "make sure these people are not forgotten."
Moreover, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator praised Turkey's response to the disaster as "extraordinary" and hailed the "courage" of first responders for working round the clock in search of survivors.
He also said what happened in the area around the epicenter of the quake was the "worst event in 100 years in this region."
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced that it would provide $85 million in emergency aid to local partners in Turkey and Syria, as earlier reported by HNGN.
Local partners would serve as channels for US assistance to Syria, as Washington has rejected Bashar al-Assad and sought responsibility for civil war atrocities.
Riots Force Rescue Teams To Suspend Operations
Meanwhile, German and Austrian rescue teams have suspended operations in southeastern Turkey, citing security concerns following the Turkey-Syria earthquake.
German relief organization ISAR director of operations Steven Bayer noted on Saturday that the earthquake victims' "grief is slowly giving way to anger."
ISAR and Germany's Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) said Saturday they were halting their activity after riot-like situations in the province of Hatay, according to DW.
THW and ISAR attributed the circumstances to food shortage and water supply problems in the earthquake area.
Separately, a spokesman for the Austrian military also said it had suspended its rescue operations in Turkey due to a worsening "security situation" on the ground.
Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Kugelweis of the Austrian Armed Forces said that there is rising "aggression between factions in Turkey."
The Austrian disaster relief unit has been helping with the search and rescue operations in Hatay since Tuesday. They were confined to their base camp until the Turkey-Syria earthquake situation improved.
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