Ankara,
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey’s Gaziantep city on the 6th, wreaking havoc in Turkey and neighboring Syria. The death toll from the earthquake has crossed 50 thousand in both the countries. More than 44 thousand lives were lost in Turkey alone.
Despite the powerful earthquake, Turkish architects and the public blame poor construction for the high loss of life.
Earthquake engineering standards should be followed as per the country’s building code. It is alleged that thousands of buildings have collapsed and tens of thousands of lives have been lost due to corruption and construction work without proper implementation of this regulation. The country’s judiciary is investigating the construction scam.
The Turkish government has said that 184 people, including building contractors and building owners, have been arrested in connection with this investigation. It is said that more than 600 people have been investigated in this regard and the Department of Justice has issued arrest warrants for the arrest of dozens more.