Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Turkey orders 113 arrests linked to collapsed buildings probe

Turkey orders 113 arrests linked to collapsed buildings probe

Vice President Oktay says 131 suspects have been identified as responsible for the collapse of some of the buildings.

Turkey has decided to thoroughly investigate anyone suspected of responsibility for the collapse of buildings in the country’s catastrophic earthquakes, having already ordered the arrest of 113 suspects.

Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay said late on Saturday that 131 suspects had so far been identified as responsible for the collapse of some of the thousands of buildings flattened in the 10 provinces affected by the earthquakes on Monday.

“Detention orders have been issued for 113 of them,” Oktay told reporters in a briefing.

“We will follow this up meticulously until the necessary judicial process is concluded, especially for buildings that suffered heavy damage and buildings that caused deaths and injuries.”

Meanwhile, Turkey’s justice minister has promised to punish anyone responsible and prosecutors have begun gathering samples of buildings for evidence on materials used in construction.

An aerial view of collapsed buildings as search and rescue efforts continue after magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes in Kahramanmaras, Turkey

While the quakes were powerful, victims, experts and people across Turkey are blaming poor construction for the extent of the damage.

Environment Minister Murat Kurum said, based on the assessment of more than 170,000 buildings, 24,921 structures across the region had collapsed or were heavily damaged.

Rescuers were still looking for survivors in the rubble six days after the disaster, which hit parts of Syria and Turkey. The death toll has exceeded 29,000 and is expected to rise further.

Opposition parties have accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government of not enforcing building regulations, and of misspending special taxes levied after the last major earthquake in 1999 to make buildings more resistant to quakes.

State prosecutors in Adana ordered the arrest of 62 people in an investigation into collapsed buildings, while prosecutors sought the arrest of 33 people in Diyarbakir for the same reason, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

It said eight people had been arrested in Sanliurfa and four in Osmaniye in connection with destroyed buildings believed to have faults, such as columns being removed.

First responders rescue seven-year-old Haci Ahmet from the rubble of an eight-storey building in Adiyaman


Police detained the developer of one residential complex which collapsed in Antakya at Istanbul Airport as he prepared to board a flight for Montenegro on Friday evening. He was formally arrested on Saturday.

The upmarket 12-storey residential complex was completed a decade ago and consisted of 249 apartments. There was no information on the casualties in that building.

The arrested man told prosecutors he did not know why the complex collapsed and that his desire to go to Montenegro was unrelated, Anadolu reported.

“We fulfilled all procedures set out in legislation,” he was quoted by Anadolu as saying. “All licences were obtained.”

Erdogan acknowledged earlier that the initial response was hampered by the extensive damage.

He said the worst-affected area was 500km (310 miles) in diameter and was home to 13.5 million people.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×