By Ricardo Lezama 13/feb/2023
La Cartita
The last week’s catastrophic earthquake of the 7.8-magnitude is likely to become the deadliest in Turkey’s history, as the death toll in Turkey has reached 31,643, and 4,574 in Syria.
Emergency responders continue to strive to rescue those still trapped beneath the debris.
As the tragedy unfolds, sorrow and anger is spreading among the population, leading to finger pointing. Turkish officials have taken action, detaining and arresting property developers.
In addition, 163 people are being held accountable for the building collapses through judicial proceedings. Eight have been arrested, while 48 are in police custody. Some of these contractors were found to be negligent and attempting to flee the country. These arrests are seen as a way for the government to take responsibility away from the state and to hold individuals accountable for the destruction caused by the earthquake.
The President has frequently made construction a priority, however, criticism has been increasing for the Turkish government’s periodic authorization of “construction amnesties,” which allows developers to construct projects without necessary safety requirements and disregard codes, often coinciding with elections, with experts linking these amnesties to corruption.
It has been established that substandard building violations mostly occurred between 1950 and 2000 and experts suggest that proper building code enforcement could have prevented the level of destruction experienced in the recent earthquake.