One in 10 homes in quake-hit Turkish areas collapsed, irreparable

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Feb 23:10

The urbanization authority said it is working on a reconstruction plan that will cover 11 provinces, the minister said during a trip to Malatya, one of the affected cities.

A man walks by a collapsed building in Turkey. February 13, 2023 (AFP)

According to Turkish Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum, one-tenth of the housing in earthquake-ravaged regions of southern Turkey are beyond repair and must be demolished.

"We have inspected 577,689 buildings in the disaster areas, which corresponds to some 2.665 million apartments. Of those, 56,080 buildings collapsed or must be demolished or are severely damaged," Kurum said.

The minister stated during a visit to Malatya, one of the damaged cities, that the ministry is developing a reconstruction plan that would encompass 11 provinces.

Additionally, investigations into architectural negligence contributed to the high number of victims in the country's deadliest earthquake in modern history. Anyone responsible for defective constructions, according to Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, will face punishment.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday was one of the deadliest natural disasters this century, and according to a report by The New York Times, dozens of countries sent rescue teams to help in the search. Experts warned that the window for finding survivors was closing in the aftermath of the quake.

More than 250 contractors arrested in Turkey

Al Mayadeen correspondent in Turkey reported today that more than 250 construction contractors were arrested for interrogation about the causes of the rapid collapse of buildings as a result of the earthquake.

The news about the arrest of contractors and developers of buildings and housing complexes in Turkey did not cease during the past hours while the search and rescue teams continue their efforts in the ten affected provinces following the devastating earthquake.

One of the most prominent of these contractors, Mehmet Yasar Coskun, owner of the Renaissance Residence complex in the southern Hatay province, was arrested by the authorities while he was trying to leave the country for Montenegro, from Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul.

Turkey's Justice Ministry has ordered prosecutors to file criminal charges against all contractors and officials responsible for the collapse of buildings that failed to meet existing laws introduced after a similarly disastrous earthquake in 1999.

The campaigns carried out by the Turkish authorities against the contractors are continuing, while the data indicate that they will take an upward trend in the coming days, which was indicated by the words of the Turkish Vice President, Fuad Aktay, by saying, “131 people have been identified responsible for the destroyed buildings in 10 provinces.”