Antakya, Turkey, Feb 12 (AP) – Rescue teams pulled survivors, including a pregnant woman and two children, from the rubble of buildings six days after a devastating earthquake struck Turkey. Meanwhile, the Turkish judicial authorities are investigating more than 130 people allegedly involved in illegal construction activities.
The death toll from Monday’s earthquake in Turkey and Syria rose to 33,179 on Sunday, while more than 92,600 were injured. The rescue operation is still going on. For the past five days, rescuers have been working tirelessly in the cold to rescue people buried under the rubble.
Turkey’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Sunday that 134 people were under investigation for their alleged responsibility in the construction of buildings that collapsed in the quake, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported. He said that three people have been arrested and seven people have been detained.
Turkey’s justice minister said those responsible for the collapse of the buildings would not be spared. Prosecutors began collecting samples from the building’s rubble in search of evidence about the materials used in construction. The private DHA news agency and other media reported that Istanbul airport authorities detained two contractors responsible for the destruction of several buildings in Adiyaman on Sunday.
According to the news, both were allegedly fleeing to Georgia. “My intentions are clear,” Yavuz Karakas, one of the arrested contractors, told reporters on Sunday, the DHA reported. I built 44 buildings. Four of these were destroyed. I have done everything according to the rules.”
Authorities detained two people in Gaziantep province on Sunday on suspicion of tearing down a pillar to make room for a building, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Meanwhile, the German government wants to temporarily ease visa restrictions for earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria.
German Interior Minister Nancy Feger tweeted on Saturday night: “We are extending a helping hand in times of crisis. We want to make it possible for Turkish or Syrian families in Germany to bring close relatives from the disaster area.” (agency)
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