Turkey probes contractors as earthquake death toll passes 33,000

Turkish authorities launched an investigation targeting the contractor linked to the buildings that collapsed during the powerful earthquake that struck the area on February 6. 

The death toll from the 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria continues to increase as search and rescue teams continue to find more bodies buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings. Currently, the disaster is thought to have killed at least 33,185 people. 

Authorities, victims, and experts are blaming the faulty construction of several buildings for doubling the extent of the damage and multiplying the number of deaths caused by the earthquake. While Turkey’s construction codes meet earthquake-proof standards, they are rarely enforced, according to The Associated Press. 

Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag announced that 131 individuals in 10 provinces were under investigation for failing to enforce construction standards in the buildings that collapsed. 

“Detention orders have been issued for 113 of them,” Oktay told reporters in a briefing.

“We will follow this up meticulously until the necessary judicial process is concluded, especially for buildings that suffered heavy damage and buildings that caused deaths and injuries.”

More than 170,000 buildings and 24,921 structures across the country collapsed or were severely damaged during the earthquake, according to Environment Minister Murat Kurum.