More than 100 arrest warrants issued in Turkey due to substandard development

While on paper Turkey has building codes that meet current seismological standards, these codes are rarely followed.

Turkey has detained or issued arrest warrants for about 130 people believed to be involved in the construction of buildings that collapsed in earthquakes and killed their occupants, the AP news agency reported.

Now the attention of the Turkish authorities is focused on who is to blame for the fact that the earthquake-prone region has not made the necessary preparations in case of a natural disaster.

While on paper Turkey has building codes that meet current seismological standards, these codes are rarely followed. This explains, in part, why thousands of buildings were completely destroyed.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Saturday that arrest warrants had been issued for 131 people suspected of being involved in the building’s collapse.

Turkey’s justice minister promised to punish all those responsible, and prosecutors began collecting building samples for evidence about the materials used in construction.

The earthquakes were strong, but victims, experts and people across Turkey blamed poor construction for the increased destruction.

Two contractors responsible for demolishing several buildings in Adiyaman were detained at Istanbul Airport on Sunday.

In Gaziantep province, two more people were arrested, suspected of cutting columns to create more space in a collapsed building.

A day earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Justice announced the planned establishment of an earthquake-related crime investigation office.

As of Sunday morning, the death toll from the earthquake in the two countries exceeded 28,000, and more than 80,000 were injured.

It will be remembered that the UN is predicting an increase in the number of earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. The organization believes that the number of casualties may reach 50 thousand people.