Turkey has decided to thoroughly investigate anyone suspected of responsibility for the collapse of buildings in the country’s catastrophic earthquakes, having already ordered the arrest of 113 suspects.
Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay said late on Saturday that 131 suspects had so far been identified as responsible for the collapse of some of the thousands of buildings flattened in the 10 provinces affected by the earthquakes on Monday.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Turkey’s justice minister has promised to punish anyone responsible and prosecutors have begun gathering samples of buildings for evidence on materials used in construction.
Environment Minister Murat Kurum said, based on the assessment of more than 170,000 buildings, 24,921 structures across the region had collapsed or were heavily damaged.
Rescuers were still looking for survivors in the rubble six days after the disaster, which hit parts of Syria and Turkey. The death toll has exceeded 29,000 and is expected to rise further.
