Ankara: Following this month's devastating earthquakes, Turkiye has started to rebuild homes as the combined death toll in Turkiye and Syria has surpassed 50,000.
The earthquakes on February 6 that killed tens of thousands in Turkey and Syria caused over 160,000 buildings, containing 520,000 apartments, to collapse or suffer significant damage.
On Friday night, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority reported that Turkiye had a total death toll of 44,218. The two countries' combined death toll has surpassed 50,000 with the most recent death toll from Syria of 5,914.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to rebuild homes within a year, but authorities should prioritise safety over expediency, according to experts. The most recent earthquakes caused some buildings that were designed to withstand tremors to collapse.
"Tenders and contracts have been made for a number of projects. An official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, "The process is moving very quickly, and there will be no compromise on safety.
Authorities claim that tents have been sent out for the numerous homeless, but people have complained that getting to them is difficult.
"There are eight of my kids. We are currently camped out. The ground is wet, and there is water on top of the tent. Melek, 67, who was in line to receive aid outside a high school in the town of Hassa said, "We are asking for more tents, but they don't give them to us.
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A volunteer organisation called Interrail Turkiye was using the school as a distribution point for aid. According to one volunteer, Sumeyye Karabocek, the biggest issue is still a lack of tents.
Erdogan's administration has come under fire for both how it handled the destruction and for what many Turks claim were years of lax enforcement of construction quality control.
According to him, the Turkish government's initial plan is to spend at least $15 billion building 200,000 apartments and 70,000 village homes. The rebuilding of homes and infrastructure is expected to cost $25 billion, according to US bank JPMorgan.
Additionally, Turkiye published new rules governing the construction of homes and businesses that can be donated to the Urbanization Ministry for the benefit of those in need. In relation to the buildings that collapsed during the Turkiye earthquake, investigations have been opened against more than 600 people.
184 of the 612 suspects, according to Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, are currently incarcerated pending trial. He stated in televised remarks from a coordination centre in southeast Turkiye's Diyarbakir that those detained include building owners or managers and contractors for construction companies.
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Bozdag continued, "The discovery of evidence in the buildings continues as a basis for criminal investigation.