The Turkish Minister of Justice, Bekir Bozdag, indicated that more than a hundred detainees are being investigated for their possible responsibility in the construction of thousands of collapsed buildings, reported the state news agency Anadolu. He added that three have been arrested for trial, seven others have been banned from leaving the country.
Bozdag vowed to punish all those responsible, and the prosecution has begun taking samples of construction materials to use as evidence. Although last week’s earthquakes were strong, victims and experts in Turkey blame poor construction and corruption for multiplying the devastation.
Almost 26 thousand dead by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Two contractors accused of destroying several buildings in Adiyaman were detained at Istanbul airport, the private DHA news agency and other media reported. The two were on their way to Georgia, according to reports.
Six days after the seismic events, rescuers are still pulling people alive from the rubble where a pair of earthquakes devastated southeastern Turkey and northern Syria,
The death toll from the earthquakes reached 34,000 yesterday in Turkey and Syria.