Turkish security teams arrest 64 suspects for looting quake-hit properties

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish security forces have arrested at least 64 suspects for allegedly looting damaged buildings after powerful earthquakes shook the region, the country's justice minister said Sunday.

Pointing to a rise in complaints over such incidents in recent days, Bekir Bozdag said prosecutors' offices are carrying out an effective investigation into the crimes.

"So far, 64 suspects have been prosecuted over 75 separate incidents in these regions. Of these, 57 suspects were arrested and seven others were sentenced to judicial control injunctions," Bozdag said.

At least 29,605 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye last week, the country's disaster agency said Sunday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, also including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.