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On the ground

Faster and cheaper: Turkey's construction sector blamed for scale of earthquake devastation

From our special correspondent in Osmaniye, Turkey – Developers in Turkey’s construction sector are in the hot seat and dozens have been arrested following the earthquakes that caused the collapse of thousands of multi-storey buildings and individual houses on February 6, killing tens of thousands. FRANCE 24's Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucaud and Hussein Asad report from Osmaniye, Turkey.

Many buildings were reduced to rubble in Osmaniye following the February 6 earthquakes in southeastern Turkey.
Many buildings were reduced to rubble in Osmaniye following the February 6 earthquakes in southeastern Turkey. © FRANCE 24 screenshot
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Economic growth in modern Turkey is partly fuelled by the construction sector, but architects are saying that pressure to build faster and cheaper has led to collusion between politicians and housing developers and a lack of respect for building codes.

“Floors are added without permission and there are too few inspections. All this leads to buildings collapsing and so many dead,” said Halise Sen, president of Osmaniye's chambre of architects.

Amid calls for justice for victims of the deadly earthquakes, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that those responsible will pay. Dozens of developers – but not a single politician who delivered a faulty permit – have been arrested since February 6. 

Click on the player above to watch the full report.

 

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