Turkey Hunts Down 113 Building Contractors After Deadly Quake

Officials in Turkey say 113 arrest warrants have been issued in connection with the construction of buildings that collapsed in Monday's earthquake, Tom Bateman and Laura Gozzi reported for BBC News.

Photo Insert: Rescuers clear the debris of collapsed buildings after the Turkey quake that has so far taken over 41,000 lives.

Turkish police have already taken at least 12 people into custody, including building contractors.

Meanwhile, unrest in southern Turkey has disrupted rescue efforts in some places. The number of people confirmed to have died in Turkey and Syria has risen to more than 33,000.

More arrests are expected - but the action will be seen by many as an attempt to divert overall blame for the disaster. For years, experts warned that many new buildings in Turkey were unsafe due to endemic corruption and government policies.

Those policies allowed so-called amnesties for contractors who swerved building regulations, in order to encourage a construction boom - including in earthquake-prone regions.

Thousands of buildings collapsed during the earthquake, raising questions about whether the natural disaster's impact was made worse by human failings. With elections looming, the president's future is on the line after spending 20 years in power.

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