Turkey Intensifies Crackdown After Deadly Earthquakes
Turkish security forces are expanding a nationwide operation to identify more than a hundred individuals suspected of violating construction rules that may have contributed to collapse during the powerful earthquakes in the country’s southeast. The investigation centers on Anatolia, with authorities saying the focus is on ensuring building standards were followed and that negligence did not lead to additional loss of life or property.
Initial authorities reported that 131 people were found guilty of actions that allegedly caused buildings to fail during the quake events. The ongoing inquiry has already led to the arrest of one person, while detention warrants have been issued for 113 others as part of the wider effort to hold responsible parties accountable. In related actions, Turkish security services arrested at least 98 suspects accused of looting or taking advantage of damaged structures in the aftermath of the disasters, underscoring a broad move to deter unlawful activity in affected areas.
On the morning of February 6, Turkey was struck by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake, described by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the strongest since 1939. A second quake of magnitude 7.6 followed within hours, triggering a cascade of aftershocks that reverberated across neighboring Syria, Iran, and other regional states, where communities also endured casualties and extensive damage.
Fuat Oktay, former vice president of Turkey, stated that the earthquakes resulted in the loss of more than 24,600 lives, signaling the scale of the disaster and the urgency of coordinated national rescue, relief, and reconstruction efforts. The government has mobilized search and rescue teams, medical responders, and civil defense units, while international partners have offered aid to support emergency operations and long-term recovery measures. (Source: Turkish authorities; official briefings)