Turkey’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has revealed that investigations have been launched against more than 600 people in relation to buildings that collapsed during the devastating 7.8- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes that struck the country earlier this month. Of these, 184 suspects have been arrested and taken into custody pending trial. The suspects include construction contractors, building owners, and managers.
Bozdag also noted that the detection of evidence in the collapsed buildings is continuing as a basis for criminal investigation. This comes as opposition parties have accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration of failing to enforce building regulations.
In addition, the mayor of Nurdagi, a town close to the epicentre of the quake, has been detained as part of an investigation into collapsed buildings. Okkes Kavak, who is a member of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), is said to have failed to ensure construction inspections were carried out.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s disaster management agency AFAD has reported that 9,470 aftershocks have hit the region affected by the quake since February 6. AFAD General Manager Orhan Tatar stated that these aftershocks are expected to last for at least two years. He also noted that a 5.3-magnitude quake that occurred in Bor, a town approximately 245km west of the epicentre, was considered independent of earlier earthquakes.