In Erdogan’s Turkey, a Building System Fatally Weakened by Corruption

NYT WORLD: In Erdogan’s Turkey, a Building System Fatally Weakened by Corruption
By Ceylan Yeginsu, Rebecca R. Ruiz and Nimet Kirac
Section: World
Source: New York Times
Published Date: May 4, 2023 at 03:00AM

Turkish families got wealthy off a construction system rife with patronage. A Times investigation reveals just how fatally shaky that system was.

The building began convulsing at 4:17 a.m. Firat Yayla was awake in bed, scrolling through videos on his phone. His mother was asleep down the hall. The region along Turkey’s border with Syria was known for earthquakes, but this apartment complex was new, built to withstand disaster. It was called Guclu Bahce, or Mighty Garden. Mr. Yayla’s own cousin had helped build it. He and his business partner had boasted that the complex could withstand even the most powerful tremor. So, as the earth heaved for more than a minute, Mr. Yayla, 21, and his 62-year-old mother, Sohret Guclu, a retired schoolteacher, remained inside. At that very moment, though, Mr. Yayla’s cousin, the developer, was leaping for safety from a second-story balcony.

Read More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/world/europe/turkey-earthquake-corruption.html

How Corruption Led to THOUSANDS of Buildings Collapsing in Turkey