Turkish authorities are targeting contractors allegedly linked with buildings that collapsed in the powerful February 6 earthquakes as rescuers found more survivors in the rubble Sunday, including a pregnant woman and two children, in the disaster that killed over 33,000 people.
In total, Turkish officials have detained or issued arrest warrants for 131 people allegedly involved in the construction of buildings that toppled down and crushed their occupants. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay provided this information late on Saturday.
On Sunday, February 12, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that these people were under investigation for their alleged responsibility in the construction of buildings that failed to withstand the earthquakes. Prosecutors have already started collecting samples from these collapsed building sites to examine the quality of construction material that was used.
Earlier, Turkey’s Justice Ministry announced the plan to establish “Earthquake Crimes Investigation” bureaus. The bureaus would aim to identify contractors and others responsible for building works, gather evidence, instruct experts including architects, geologists, and engineers, and check building permits and occupation permits.
China sent the second batch of supplies to earthquake-hit areas of Syria and has asked Chinese rescue teams that have not left for disaster zones in Turkey and Syria to cancel trips in order to ease the burden on rescue operations. The China Association for Disaster Prevention called on Saturday for Chinese rescue teams to cancel or suspend their trips to not increase the burden on hard-hit areas, and avoid risks due to inclement weather. Cotton tents, family kits, jackets and other daily necessities, as well as medical supplies, were being provided to Syria by the Red Cross Society of China, CCTV reported on Monday. China has already committed financial aid to Turkey and Syria, and has sent a number of rescue teams from several parts of the country, including 82 members dispatched by the Chinese government, as the death toll tops 33,000.
“Right now, every hour matters,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, said in a statement to Reuters. “People in the affected areas are counting on us.” “We cannot let them down – we must vote immediately on a resolution to heed the UN’s call for authorization of additional border crossings for the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” she said. “It’s time to move with urgency and purpose.”
The United States on Sunday called for the United Nations Security Council to “vote immediately” to authorize the delivery of UN aid to rebel-held northwest Syria through more border crossings from Turkey after last week’s deadly earthquake. Since 2014 the UN has been able to deliver aid to millions of people in need in the northwest part of war-torn Syria through Turkey under a Security Council mandate. But it is currently restricted to using just one border crossing.
Mourners from a town in North Cyprus on Sunday buried the last of 39 people, including 24 children, who were killed in last week’s earthquake while in Turkey for a school volleyball tournament. The kids aged 11-14, 10 parents, four teachers and a trainer from Turkish Maarif College in Famagusta, were killed when their hotel in Adiyaman collapsed. Huge crowds attended funerals in Famagusta on Friday and Saturday, and hundreds attended two more ceremonies held on Sunday for trainer Osman Cetintas and team member Havin Kilic.
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