Turkey -Syria Earthquake : Death Toll Rises To Over 33,100 Govt Officials Arrest Building Contractors

The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria crossed the 33,000 mark on Sunday (February 12). The United Nations (UN) has warned that the final number may double. According to officials and medics, 29,605 people died in Turkey, while Syria recorded 3574 deaths.

Turkish officials detained or issued arrest warrants for 130 people suspected of being involved in the construction of buildings that erupted and crushed their occupants as rescuers continued to pull a few survivors from the rubble six days after two earthquakes devastated southeast Turkey and northern Syria, reported The Indian Express. 

In spite of Turkey's existing construction codes meeting current earthquake-engineering standards, the codes are not enforced, which accounts for the collapse of thousands of buildings and the subsequent deaths of many residents.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said late on Saturday that warrants had been issued for the detention of 131 people suspected of being responsible for collapsed buildings.

Turkey's justice minister has vowed to punish anyone responsible, and prosecutors have begun gathering building samples for evidence of construction materials. The quakes were powerful, but victims, experts, and people across Turkey blame faulty construction for multiplying the devastation.

Source : The Logical Indian