The Justice Ministry has instructed prosecutor's offices in 10 provinces affected by two major earthquakes in Türkiye's southeast to establish "Earthquake Crimes Investigation Departments" on Saturday, as authorities detained at least 14 people over alleged negligence regarding buildings that collapsed following the earthquakes.
The ministry noted that it was crucial to take immediate action on collecting evidence and imposing precautionary measures for suspects for investigations that will be launched into deaths caused by negligence.
The ministry said that the prosecutors responsible for the departments above would solely handle earthquake negligence-related cases and utilize precautionary measures to ensure that the suspects do not escape or destroy evidence.
Separately, prosecutors are looking to detain 33 more in the city of Diyarbakır over alleged responsibility for "building defects," such as removing concrete columns to free up space.
Most of the detained were contractors. One was caught at Istanbul Airport, where he had been attempting to flee to Montenegro with cash. He was identified as Mehmet Yasar Coskun, the contractor behind the Rönesans condominium – regarded as one of the most luxurious condos – in Hatay province.
Police arrested Hasan Alpargun in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) after some buildings made by his construction company collapsed in the southern Adana province, according to security forces.
Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Alpargun on suspicion of reckless manslaughter and other charges.
Contractor Ibrahim Mustafa Uncuoğlu was arrested in Istanbul after a technical examination of the wreckage of an apartment building in the Gaziantep province found neglect.
Istanbul police arrested another contractor, Mehmet Ertan Akay, after his building collapsed during the quake in Gaziantep.
Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Akay on charges of reckless manslaughter and building code violations.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ on Wednesday vowed to take action against negligence and flaws after the deadly quakes.
Underlining that the priority now is to save people who are trapped under the rubble, Bozdağ pledged, "After that, the judicial process will follow. All those who had negligence and fault will be held accountable."
Over 22,000 people lost their lives, and more than 80,000 others were injured after two major earthquakes shook the southeast on Monday.
Previously, findings from the magnitude 6.6 Izmir earthquake in 2020 showed vital construction safety violations that led to deaths