Following Monday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake more than 21,700 people have now died and over 75,000 have been injured.
Turkey’s disaster management authority, AFAD has confirmed that 18,342 have died and in Syria 3.377 have been killed.
Thousands of buildings had collapsed killing so many as Turkey never enforced their building codes during the building boom.
Experts have said that Turkey had “tempted fate” by not enforcing building codes in earthquake prone areas.
Eyup Muhcu, president of the Chamber of Architects of Turkey, said that thousands of homes had been built with inferior materials and this was by in large ignored as it would have been too expensive to resolve.
Muchu added, “The building stock in the area was weak and not sturdy, despite the reality of earthquakes.”
David Alexander, a professor of emergency planning at University College London said, “This is a disaster caused by shoddy construction, not by an earthquake.”
Bekir Bozdag, the Justice Minister, said they will investigate buildings destroyed by the earthquake and added, “Those who have been negligent, at fault and responsible for the destruction following the earthquake will answer to justice.”
