Authorities have detained two people over the collapse of a building in the western Turkish town of Sındırgı, where a 6.1-magnitude earthquake killed one person and injured dozens on Sunday.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said the building’s owner and contractor were taken into custody on suspicion of causing death and injury through negligence. He said a team of expert witnesses had been appointed to inspect the building and take samples of concrete and that the investigation was being conducted “in all its aspects and with care.”
The quake struck Sındırgı in Balıkesir province at 7:53 p.m. local time (1653 GMT) at a depth of 11 kilometers, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD). It was felt in surrounding provinces including İzmir, Manisa and İstanbul and was followed by more than 100 aftershocks, the largest measuring 4.6.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said an 81-year-old man died shortly after being rescued from the rubble of a three-story building in the town center. Twenty-nine people were injured, none seriously, he added.
Yerlikaya said 16 buildings were destroyed in Sındırgı and nearby villages, four of which were inhabited. Two residents escaped one of the buildings on their own, and four others were rescued.
AFAD said 1,100 search and rescue personnel and 214 vehicles were sent to the area, along with nongovernmental groups. Damage assessment is ongoing.
Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said 52 people sought hospital treatment after the quake. Nineteen have been discharged, while 10 remain under care, including three who were pulled from the rubble.
Turkey sits on several major fault lines and frequently experiences earthquakes. In February 2023 twin quakes in the south killed more than 53,000 people and devastated cities including Antakya, the site of the ancient city of Antioch.