160 suspects remanded in Türkiye over collapse of buildings after quakes

By Kemal Karadag

ANKARA (AA) - At least 160 suspects were remanded in custody across Türkiye over the collapse of buildings following the Jan. 6 deadly quakes, according to judicial sources on Wednesday.

Turkish prosecutors charged 564 suspects as part of the investigation on collapsed buildings or flouting of construction codes, the sources said.

At least 175 suspects were released under judicial control, which means they will regularly have to report to their nearest police station.

In addition, arrest warrants were issued for 71 suspects and detention orders were issued for 61 others.

While 18 people are still in custody by the order of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, according to the sources, 11 other suspects have died. Six suspects are abroad, the sources added.

According to the latest official figures, at least 42,300 people have died in the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes on Feb. 6 that were centered in Türkiye's southern Kahramanmaras province and struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Adiyaman, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.

The Turkish government has made a flurry of arrests of building contractors as opposition figures have criticized the non-adherence to building construction codes for the massive loss of lives.