Contractor of collapsed building indicted for 'killing by gross negligence'

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The contractor of an apartment building in Urfa, southeastern Turkey, has been indicted for "killing and injuring multiple people by gross negligence," the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Thirty-four people died and 10 others were injured after the building collapsed in the double earthquake last month.

The Şanlıurfa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office submitted the indictment against the contractor identified with the initials M.D. to the Şanlıurfa 9th Heavy Penal Court.

The indictment includes reports regarding the examination of the wreckage of the building. Accordingly, while the building project was in accordance with the relevant regulations, the building itself was not.

"It has been understood that this situation arose mostly from the flaws in the production process (inappropriate aggregate use, high content of fines, insufficient compaction, high water-cement ratio, incomplete curing, etc.)," said the indictment.

"It is observed that a certain degree of corrosion has been detected in the reinforcements, which can be seen as a clear indication that the poor concrete quality is a situation that makes the reinforced concrete elements vulnerable to the effects of environmental wear.

"It is understood from the observations at the scene and the expert report that the suspect made very serious production mistakes during the construction of the building and used insufficient materials from ... and that the concrete strength was low and of poor quality."

Three of the four people responsible for the construction of the building had died before the earthquakes, the indictment also notes.

"My son died in the earthquake"

In his statement, M.D. said his son was also living in the building and died after it collapsed. He denied any fault in the construction of the building, saying that he had heard irregular alterations to some apartments and the store at the bottom of the building.

The building was constructed in 1991.

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.

(AS/VK)