Turkiye authorizes detention of 31 people over quake destructions

The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Turkish province of Malatya has authorized the detention of 31 people as part of an investigation into the causes of the collapse of buildings as a result of earthquakes, Report informs referring to TASS.

Warrants for the detention of these persons associated with the developers were issued on the basis of suspicions of the guilt of these people. A search is underway for the persons indicated by the prosecutor’s office.

Meanwhile, a construction site manager and technical representative of the 12-story Emre residential building in Gaziantep, which collapsed as a result of an earthquake, was reportedly detained in Istanbul. Nazmi Tosun was detained this morning in Istanbul’s Umraniye district. According to the data available to the investigation, columns on the first floor of this building could have been illegally cut off in violation of the technical regulations, which led to the complete destruction of the house.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on February 12 that the country’s authorities identified 131 suspects associated with the construction of collapsed buildings and responsible for their technical condition and compliance with construction standards. One of them was arrested and 113 were ordered to be detained.