Specialists completed clearing 22% of the rubble a month and a half after the devastating earthquakes in the southeast of the country. This was announced on Saturday, March 18, by Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay at a briefing in Ankara.
He emphasized that the work is proceeding in an operational mode, writes RIA News. Experts are now completing an assessment of the condition of buildings in 11 provinces of Turkey, Oktay said. According to the latest data, about 300,000 buildings will be demolished.
The Turkish Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the construction of about 35,000 apartments for the victims has already begun.
Devastating earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 occurred on February 6 with an interval of several hours in the province of Kahramanmaras in southeastern Turkey. According to the latest information, 49,589 people became victims of the disaster, of which 6,807 are foreign citizens.
As of March 10, more than 820,000 buildings have been destroyed in Turkey. As previously reported by the local TV channel TRT, citing law enforcement sources, the country’s authorities arrested 269 people, including developers and contractors. They may be guilty in the collapse of houses after the February earthquakes. Arrest warrants were also issued for 106 people.
