After the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, more bodies are being pulled from the rubble of collapsed houses every day. The number of people who lost their lives as a result of the earthquake has now risen to more than 50,000.
In Turkey alone, the Turkish disaster agency Afad reports 44,218 deaths. 5,900 deaths were recently reported from Syria.
According to a new government report, 164,321 buildings were destroyed or badly damaged in the earthquakes in Turkey. Urban planning minister Murat Kurum gave this number to journalists in Adiyaman province. The affected houses urgently need to be demolished, he added. Preparatory work for the reconstruction had already begun.
Architects blame government for disaster
The series of earthquakes began on February 6, when two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and a little later measuring 7.6 shook southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. This was followed by more than 7,000 aftershocks, according to Turkish sources.
The Turkish Chamber of Architects TMMOB has attested that the government is largely to blame for the magnitude of the earthquake disaster. According to a chamber report, the government put the lives of many people at risk by subsequently legalizing thousands of unauthorized buildings.
Almost half of the buildings in the region affected by the earthquake were built after 2001 – a time when strict building regulations for earthquake safety were already in force. Nevertheless, half of the collapsed or badly damaged buildings are from this period. Construction supervision has been transferred to the private sector, which means that the state has neglected its responsibility for the general public.