Adıyaman earthquake building collapse leads to indictments and court‑approved investigation

Following the 6 February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey, a residential block in Adıyaman’s Alitaşı neighbourhood collapsed, killing nine people and injuring four. The Adıyaman Chief Public Prosecutor prepared an indictment charging the building owner Abuzer Yapıcı, the structural project engineer Mahmut Nedim Karakaş and municipal officials with “conscious negligence” for failing to meet technical standards. The indictment was accepted by the 2nd Heavy Penal Court, with the first hearing scheduled for 9 September.

In a related case, the Council of State (Danıştay) 1st Chamber rejected objections from former Besni mayor Mehmet Nuri Tuğsuz and two public officials, upholding the Ministry of Interior’s permission to investigate the Arı Apartmanı collapse that caused 31 deaths. The court ordered the investigation files to be sent to the Adıyaman Chief Prosecutor, signalling continued legal scrutiny of construction failures linked to the earthquakes.