Turkish authorities on Monday made a number of new arrests of contractors linked with buildings that collapsed in the powerful earthquakes that struck the southeastern region a week ago.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck nine hours apart in southeastern Türkiye on Feb. 6, killing more than 31,640 people. The death toll is expected to rise considerably as search teams recover more bodies from the rubble.
The government has vowed to investigate thoroughly anyone suspected of responsibility for the collapse of over 6,400 buildings in the 10 provinces affected by the tremors, which also severely hit northern Syria.
Officials on Sunday said more than 130 suspects had been identified, while authorities ordered the detention of 113 people.
Nazmi Tosun, the construction supervisor and technical representative of an apartment that toppled in Gaziantep province, was arrested in Istanbul early Monday.
Malatya prosecutors on Monday issued arrest warrants for 31 people over collapsed buildings in the city.
Police arrested Hasan Alpargün in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) after some buildings made by his construction company collapsed in the southern Adana province over the weekend, according to security forces.
Contractor Ibrahim Mustafa Uncuoğlu was arrested in Istanbul after a technical examination of the wreckage of an apartment building in the Gaziantep province found negligence.
Istanbul police arrested another contractor, Mehmet Ertan Akay, after his building collapsed during the quake in Gaziantep.
Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Akay on charges of reckless manslaughter and building code violations.
Mehmet Yaşar Coşkun, the contractor of a large residential building in the hard-hit Hatay province, was also taken into custody on Saturday.
Earlier, security forces detained Coşkun at Istanbul Airport as he prepared to board a plane for Montenegro on Friday evening. He was formally arrested on Saturday.
He told prosecutors he did not know why the complex collapsed and that his desire to go to Montenegro was unrelated.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has vowed to punish anyone responsible, and prosecutors have been gathering building samples for evidence on construction materials.
The Justice Ministry on Saturday announced the planned establishment of "Earthquake Crimes Investigation" bureaus. The bureaus would aim to identify contractors and others responsible for building works, gather evidence, instruct experts, including architects, geologists and engineers, and check building and occupancy permits.
Environment Minister Murat Kurum said that 24,921 buildings across the region had collapsed or were heavily damaged in the quake, based on assessments of more than 170,000 buildings.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the worst-affected area was 500 kilometers (310 miles) in diameter and is home to 13.5 million people in Türkiye and that more than 1 million were accommodated in temporary shelters.
He added that the government aims to build housing within one year for those left without a home in the 10 provinces affected.