More building contractors detained across Türkiye in wake of twin quakes

More contractors and others responsible for poorly constructed buildings that collapsed and caused heavy casualties in last week's devastating earthquakes were detained across Türkiye on Thursday, sources said.

In southern Kahramanmaras province's Turkoglu district, three people were detained within the scope of an investigation regarding buildings that caved in due to the Feb. 6 twin quakes, which have killed over 38,000 people and left over 108,000 others injured.

Another five contractors were detained in Istanbul on the grounds of "killing by negligence" under the coordination of the Kahramanmaras Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Two more people suspected of being involved in defective construction work were detained in southeastern Osmaniye province.

Meanwhile, in southern Adana province, the number of people detained over faulty building work increased to 12.

Separately, two suspects, one of whom is a contractor, were arrested in southeastern Sanliurfa province in an investigation into the collapse of a building that claimed 17 lives.

Similarly, a civil engineer who designed a defective building in Sanliurfa's Haliliye district was also apprehended. The structure's sudden collapse killed 14 people.