Turkey Investigates Builders as Dead Rises to 35,000

Turkey Investigates Builders as Dead Rises to 35,000

Turkish officials are targeting contractors² reportedly connected to buildings that collapsed³ in last week's powerful earthquakes.

The magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes struck nine hours apart in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. The disaster killed at least 35,000 people. The number of dead is sure to increase as search teams find more bodies.

As anger builds over the slow rescues, officials looked to hold people responsible.

Bekir Bozdag is the Turkish justice minister. He said 131 people were under investigation⁴ for their possible responsibility in the construction of buildings that collapsed from the quakes. While the quakes were powerful, many in Turkey blame poor construction for worsening the destruction.

Turkey's construction rules meet current earthquake-engineering requirements. But the rules are rarely enforced. That is why thousands of buildings fell over or collapsed down onto the people inside.

Among those facing criticism were two people arrested in Gaziantep province. They are suspected of cutting down support structures to make extra room in a building that collapsed, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

The justice ministry⁵ said three people were arrested, seven others were jailed and another seven were barred from leaving Turkey.

Two contractors were arrested Sunday at Istanbul Airport while trying to leave the country, local media reported. One detained contractor¹, Yavuz Karakus, said: "My conscience is clear. I built 44 buildings. Four of them were demolished⁷. I did everything according to the rules."

There are more than 34,000 people involved in rescue efforts. On Sunday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said they were joined by 9,595 people from 74 other countries. More help is on the way, the ministry said.

Turkey's Justice Ministry announced the creation of Earthquake Crimes Investigation units. The units will gather evidence and identify contractors and other people responsible for the construction of failed buildings.

A contractor was detained Friday at Istanbul's airport before he could leave the country. He built a 12-story building in Antakya. When it fell, it killed an untold⁸ number of people. He was formally arrested Saturday.

In leaked testimony⁹ published by Anadolu, the contractor said the building followed the rules. He said he did not know why it did not stay standing¹⁰. His lawyer suggested he was a scapegoat¹¹ – someone who is unfairly blamed for something that others did.

Turkey has long had a policy that permits building owners to pay fines instead of bringing buildings up to code. The government agency responsible for enforcement admitted in 2019 that over half of all buildings in Turkey were not up to code. That accounts for about 13 million apartments.

The arrests could help direct anger towards builders and away from government officials, who permitted poor construction standards to continue.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government is already hurt by economic troubles and high inflation. There will be parliamentary and presidential elections in May.

Rescue crews have been slowed by the widespread damage that has affected¹² roads and airports, making it even harder to move quickly.

Erdogan said the early rescue response was slowed by the damage. The disaster in the worst-affected area of Turkey stretches 500 kilometers in diameter and is home to 13.5 million people. During a visit to the area Saturday, Erdogan said such a tragedy was rare. He has called it the "disaster of the century."

Words in This Story

contractor — n. a person who is hired to perform work or to provide goods at a certain price or within a certain time

magnitude — n. a number that shows the power of an earthquake

construction — n. the act or process of building something

province — n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

conscience — n. the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being either morally right or wrong

demolish⁶ — v. to destroy

unit — n. a single thing, person, or group that is a part of something larger

story — n. a group of rooms or an area that forms one floor level of a building

testimony — n. something that someone says especially in a court of law while formally promising¹³ to tell the truth

response — n. something that is done as a reaction to something else

tragedy — n. a very bad event that causes great sadness and often involves someone's death

1 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

2 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 demolish   

v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等)

参考例句：

• They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
• He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库，屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。

7 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

8 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

9 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 scapegoat   

n.替罪的羔羊，替人顶罪者；v.使…成为替罪羊

参考例句：

• He has been made a scapegoat for the company's failures.他成了公司倒闭的替罪羊。
• They ask me to join the party so that I'll be their scapegoat when trouble comes.他们想叫我入伙，出了乱子，好让我替他们垫背。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。