Court arrests building inspector of Hatay luxury residence that collapsed in earthquake

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The building inspector of a luxury residence in Hatay, southern Turkey, was arrested late yesterday (March 21).

Ali Onur Çinçinoğlu was detained in the western city of İzmir and was later arrested by a judge, the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Nearly 1,000 people died when Rönesans Rezidans collapsed in the February 6 earthquakes.

The contractor of the residence, Mehmet Yaşar Coşkun, was arrested on February 11. He was nabbed at İstanbul Airport while trying to flee the country. Hüseyin Yalçın Coşkun, his brother and business partner, was found to be abroad.

The Hatay Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on February 28 submitted a request for a red notice and deportation request to the Justice Ministry.

Since the quakes, courts have arrested nearly 300 people, mostly contractors and building inspectors.

On February 6, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern city of Maraş.

The quakes affected 10 cities in Turkey's south and southeast, as well as Syria's northern parts, where over 5,000 people were killed.

The official death toll from the quakes stands at over 50,000 and is expected to increase further, as over 227,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, according to government figures.

Also, about two million people were displaced after the quakes. (ME/VK)