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Public Officials Declared 'Blameless' in Building Collapse That Killed 63, Sparking Outrage Among Victims' Families
🇹🇷 Turkey /Disasters & Emergencies

Public Officials Declared 'Blameless' in Building Collapse That Killed 63, Sparking Outrage Among Victims' Families

From Cumhuriyet · (13h ago) Turkish Critical tone

Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • An expert report found public officials "blameless" in the collapse of a building that killed 63 people during the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes.
  • The report, prepared by a single construction engineer, contradicts previous university-led expert reports that deemed municipal officials culpable.
  • Lawyers for the victims' families are protesting the findings, citing the use of low-quality materials and illegal modifications as causes for the collapse.

In the wake of the devastating Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, a new expert report has cast a shadow of controversy over the investigation into the collapse of the Tutar Yapı Sitesi C Block in Adana, which claimed the lives of 63 people. This latest report, commissioned by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and prepared by a single construction engineer, Alper Önür, has declared municipal officials as "blameless." This finding starkly contrasts with previous reports from Çukurova University and Karadeniz Technical University, which had identified municipal employees as having a degree of fault.

BELEDİYE GÖREVLİLERİ 'KUSURSUZ'DUR

— Expert ReportThe headline of a section within the article, summarizing the finding regarding public officials.

The report's conclusion that public officials are "kusursuz" (blameless) has been met with fierce opposition from the victims' families' legal representatives. Lawyer Gülsüm Özdoğru has vehemently criticized the report, calling it "copy-paste" and highlighting a glaring error where the report mistakenly references another collapsed building, the Sami Bey Apartment, instead of the Tutar Yapı Sitesi C Block. Özdoğru argues that the building's collapse was due to substandard materials and illegal alterations, including a duplex conversion on the top floor and modifications to the ground floor, which were ignored by public officials.

BU KADAR ÖZENSİZ BİR BİLİRKİŞİ RAPORUNUN HAZIRLANMASINI KABUL ETMİYORUZ

— Gülsüm ÖzdoğruThe lawyer for the victims' families expresses her rejection of the latest expert report due to its perceived carelessness and errors.

This situation underscores a critical issue often seen in the aftermath of major disasters in Turkey: the struggle for accountability and justice for victims. While international media might focus on the sheer scale of the earthquake's destruction, here in Turkey, the focus often shifts to the intricate details of building codes, municipal oversight, and the often-protracted legal battles that follow. The discrepancy between expert reports raises serious questions about the thoroughness and impartiality of the investigation. The victims' families, represented by Özdoğru, are demanding a comprehensive review by a panel of technical university experts, rather than relying on a single engineer's assessment, to ensure that all responsible parties are held accountable.

Bu ihmalleri görmezden gelen kamu görevlileri hakkında suç duyurusunda bulunduk ve aylarca soruşturma izni verilmesini bekledik.

— Gülsüm ÖzdoğruThe lawyer details the long wait for permission to investigate public officials accused of negligence.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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