Turkey Earthquake: 200 People Punished Over Bad Construction

According to the Justice Ministry of Turkey, about 200 persons have been arrested for alleged substandard building construction following the tragic earthquake that shook Turkey earlier this month.

Around 50,000 people were killed in Turkey and Syria due to the February 6 earthquake. The government reported 626 "suspects" after buildings completely collapsed or were severely damaged due to the tremors.

Turkey Widens Probe Over Building Collapses

Several suspects perished in the earthquake while authorities continued searching for others. Bekir Bozdag, the justice minister of Turkey, stated on Saturday that evidence had been gathered from thousands of buildings. More than 5,700 buildings have fallen in Turkey, according to the country's disaster service, and the structural integrity of buildings in certain impacted districts has been questioned.

Construction rules were strengthened following prior catastrophes, which should have ensured that modern structures could resist strong earthquakes. Nonetheless, many destroyed structures in the affected zone looked to have been recently erected.

Citizens and specialists are now asking whether the government made the required efforts to enforce construction standards. Yasemin Didem Aktas, a structural engineer and lecturer at University College London, told CNN that although the earthquake and its aftershocks were "a very powerful event that would challenge even code-compliant buildings," the extent of the damage indicates that the structures did not meet safety standards.

The purpose of the amnesties was to legitimize older, substandard structures that had been constructed without the required permissions. In addition, they did not mandate that developers bring their properties up to code. More than 160,000 structures collapsed or were seriously damaged in Turkey due to the sequence of destructive earthquakes, the biggest of which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale.

Others have questioned if the impact of the natural disaster was increased by the construction of dangerous houses, which experts have warned against for years. In the nation, construction rules are rarely implemented, resulting in structures that need to meet the earthquake-engineering requirement toppling innocent people.

Turkey President Accused of Deflecting Blame

Construction professionals have accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of neglecting to enforce building laws. A failure that has caused extensive destruction. According to Turkish media, among those arrested was the mayor of one of the towns affected by the earthquakes.

Since the catastrophic earthquake on February 6, Turkey has reportedly seen nine thousand of aftershocks, with the death toll nearing 50,000. This month, it was discovered that the developer who constructed the 249-unit apartment building in which former Chelsea player Christian Atsuin died had been jailed.

Mehmet Yasar Coskun was held at the Istanbul airport due to construction-related concerns. He denied departing the country and said he was only traveling to Montenegro for other assignments. Per Daily Mail, Coskun is rumored to have indicated in leaked evidence that he did not know why the structure could not withstand the two earthquakes that struck the region.

In Turkey and Syria, the verified death toll has already surpassed 50,000. After the earthquakes, more than 160,000 structures fell or were seriously damaged across Turkey, prompting questions about whether human error exacerbated the impact of the natural disaster.

Opposition parties and several construction professionals accuse the administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of not enforcing building laws and attempting to deflect blame for the tragedy. According to them, government policies have permitted so-called amnesties for contractors who evaded building laws to promote a construction boom, especially in locations prone to earthquakes.

Erdogan has acknowledged failures but has attempted to blame fate for the magnitude of the calamity. "Such events have always occurred. That is part of the design of fate, "he stated during a recent trip to the area. After 20 years in power, Erdogan's future is in jeopardy with upcoming elections, and his calls for national unity have yet to be heard, as per BBC.

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