Turkey earthquake building collapses lead to legal accountability for developers and officials

Investigations into the February 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes have identified municipal authorities and developers as primarily responsible for the collapse of the Ebrar residential complex in Kahramanmaraş, where 18 blocks fell and at least 1,480 people died. Expert reports labeled the municipality and its planning units “asli kusurlu” (principal culprits) for approving construction on unsurveyed alluvial soil. The municipal council’s approval of the controversial zoning plan has been highlighted as a key factor in the disaster.

In Malatya, the Kırçuval Hotel, which collapsed during the same quake, caused the deaths of 21 people—including ten professional volleyball players— and injured three others. A trial involving eleven suspects, among them former municipal officials and hotel operators, has been delayed until 11 September, with the court maintaining pre‑trial detention and continuing the case under charges of conscious negligence.

Both cases underscore ongoing legal scrutiny of the planning and construction decisions that amplified the human toll of the February earthquakes.