As investigations into builders and inspections of buildings that
collapsed during the Izmir earthquake continue, new findings show vital
construction safety breaches that led to deaths in the disaster.
In the aftermath of the 6.6-magnitude earthquake that hit the western
province of Izmir last Friday, authorities are investigating the
shortcomings of the buildings that collapsed in the disaster. Nine
suspects were taken to court on Thursday in connection with the
collapses, including building contractors and engineers in charge of
inspecting the construction.
Images of apartment buildings that turned into rubble next to
residences that remained intact or only suffered cracks raised questions
about their state prior to the disaster, which killed 114 people.
Nine people among the detained will be interrogated for not doing
their part during the construction process of the collapsed buildings.
Most of the collapsed buildings were built more than two decades ago
before the regulations mandating sturdier construction came into force
following a deadly earthquake in 1999 in northwestern Turkey. All
fatalities in the earthquake were in nine buildings in the Bayraklı
district, which collapsed either entirely or partially. Police detained
building contractors, owners and engineers of the buildings. A
contractor and his son, who were injured in the earthquake, will be
detained after they recover.
Reports by researchers after the earthquake point to “deficiencies”
in the collapsed structures and risky ground conditions. Some buildings
were constructed in areas that were once orchards and swamps.
Investigators have interviewed 90 people so far as witnesses and
plaintiffs. A report by Sabah newspaper published on Thursday
highlighted faulty modifications of buildings that endangered residents'
safety. At the Yılmaz Erbek apartment building where nine people died
in the earthquake, seven shops on the first floor were merged and a
column supporting the ceiling was cut off to expand a supermarket. In
another building where 11 died, the basement floor was modified so much
that it was left exposed to floods. In the Emrah apartment building, a
2005 earthquake of lower magnitude had caused cracks, but they were
covered. In another apartment building, the entrance of the building was
relocated long after the construction. In the DoÄŸanlar building, a 2018
inspection had exposed safety risks. In the Rızabey building, where 34
people were killed, the collapse is blamed on poor material used in the
construction.
Four experts from Gazi University in the capital Ankara visited the
earthquake area on Nov. 2 and released a report on their findings
Thursday. The report shows the reason that the impact of the earthquake
was felt the most in Bayraklı, more than 70 kilometers (43 miles) away
from the epicenter of the earthquake, was “soft” ground, buildings not
resistant to quakes and poor-quality cement used in the construction.
None of the buildings had a proper basement floor that would limit the
damage, according to the report. The report also pointed out the region
is known for fault lines that can cause tremors of such magnitude.
Experts found that the high level of underground water in Bayraklı led
builders to construct only “artificial” foundations for buildings.
“Instead of proper swinging movement seen in buildings built on a solid
foundation, the buildings suffered from instant collapse,” the report
said. Yet, the primary factor in collapses is the low quality of cement,
according to the experts. “Cement quality in most of the heavily
damaged and collapsed buildings was of a bad grade,” the report said.
Along with cement quality, building standards that would ensure
endurance against a disaster were not applied during the construction.
Unauthorized modification to the buildings also aggravated the damage.
Statements of Erol Kaya corroborate the findings. Kaya was a
construction worker in one of the collapsed buildings at Barış, a
complex of apartment buildings. Speaking to Hürriyet newspaper, Kaya,
who lives near the building now, said the site where Barış and other
buildings are constructed was a tangerine orchard 30 years ago. “We were
aware that the building would not be safe. The ground was shaking even
before we started construction. They used very poor quality material,
and we warned the building contractors. They ignored us,” Kaya said. He
said the building’s construction often changed hands between different
subcontractors. “I knew that the first serious earthquake would raze it
to the ground,” Kaya said. “These buildings were owned by members of a
construction cooperative but most of them did not reside here and sold
them to others. More people came to live here in recent years as the
land became valuable again after the construction of high-rise buildings
in nearby neighborhoods,” he said.
New housing
President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan on Thursday announced plans to build
at least 1.5 million housing units in Izmir over the next five years.
Speaking at a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK
Party), ErdoÄŸan said the country currently has 1,000 container units in
stock and is using those in the Aegean province to temporarily house
victims of last week's quake. "We will settle our citizens in those
containers" while construction starts to replace housing that was
destroyed, ErdoÄŸan said. Saying that nationwide there are at least 6.7
million housing units that need renovation, he added that the area hit
by last Friday's earthquake is a wetland. "We have now reserved an area
of 1.4 million square meters (15 million square feet), belonging to
agriculture and forest, for building residences (for the Izmir
victims)," he added.
ErdoÄŸan stressed that all measures to ensure safety during natural
disasters are currently being taken by the Ministry of Environment and
Urban Planning, adding: "We want to have no issues with (building)
foundations. Necessary surveys of foundations (in the area) are being
done."
"We will continue to work day and night to prepare our country for natural disasters, especially earthquakes," he stressed.
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