Prosecutors in Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaraş province filed an indictment against 16 municipal officials over the collapse of an apartment building that killed 96 people during twin earthquakes on February 6, 2023, alleging “causing death and injury by conscious negligence” under Turkish law.
The indictment seeks prison sentences ranging from two years, eight months to 22 years, six months and bans on the defendants from engaging in their professions.
The defendants worked in the municipality’s zoning, project and building control units during construction of the residence. An expert report in the file finds the officials partly at fault for misconduct in approvals.
Permission to investigate the officials came after the Gaziantep Regional Administrative Court’s 6th Chamber granted authorization, leading to the new case. In a related case, a court earlier sentenced contractor Ahmet Kara to 17-and-a-half months for the same building’s collapse.
Ebrar Sitesi, a housing complex that included the apartment building, was among the hardest-hit sites in Kahramanmaraş. Collapses in the complex killed 1,400 people.
Family members of the victims welcomed the filing. One complainant who lost relatives said they want the courts to deliver justice without delay.