Ankara: The foundations of the first buildings will be laid on Thursday in the southeastern regions of Turkey after thousands of homes were destroyed due to recent devastating earthquakes, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
On February 6, two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 hit the southeastern regions of Turkey at a nine-hour interval, toppling thousands of homes. The underground shocks followed by hundreds of aftershocks were felt in 11 Turkish provinces and in the neighboring states, with Syria being affected the most. The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey has exceeded 50,000.
“Tomorrow we start laying the foundations of the first homes,” Erdogan said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV.
At the same time, Erdogan noted that Turkish law enforcement authorities detained 302 people and issued warrants for the arrest of another 312 people on suspicion of negligence and corruption during construction, which led to the destruction of so many houses.
