Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Gov’t arrests building contactors
By Muhammadu Sabiu
Turkish officials reportedly issued arrest warrants or detained about 113 people who were allegedly involved in some illegal construction methods six days after earthquakes caused buildings to collapse and lost of many lives.
According to CNN, at least 12 people, including building contractors, have already been detained by Turkish authorities. Reports have it that rescue operations have been hampered in some areas due to protests in southern Turkey. More than 33,000 fatalities in Turkey and Syria have now been officially confirmed.
The arrests of building contractors, according to CNN on Monday, were perceived by many as a move by the Turkish government to shift full responsibility for the catastrophe.
According to findings before the natural disaster occurred, it was expected that the destroyed structures were built to withstand earthquakes. Since many new buildings in Turkey are unsafe because of widespread corruption and government practices, experts have been warning about this for years.
In order to promote a construction boom, including in earthquake-prone areas, those rules permitted so-called amnesties for contractors who flouted building regulations.