Two major earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and later 7.5 killed thousands of people in southern Turkey and northern Syria, destroying almost all buildings to the ground. The published photos and videos are shocking. While a huge number of buildings collapsed in Turkey, other similar buildings remain standing. The collapsed buildings include the newly built apartment blocks too, which were earthquake-proof.

However, according to the building code, all structures should maintain construction standards. That being said, either all of the structures should collapse, or all of them should remain standing. 

But why were some buildings affected and some neighboring buildings did not face any problems? This occurrence raised questions about the maintenance of building safety standards and triggers corruption. Let’s find out the reasons why so many buildings collapsed in Turkey's earthquake. 

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What Experts Say

Earthquake engineers at the University of Buffalo suggest that behind the seemingly random occurrence of collapses, there are likely some underlying causes.

Extreme shaking from earthquakes like the Feb. 6, magnitude 7.8, and magnitude 7.5 can lead to a building's collapse. This is due to various factors, including shaking intensity and duration, building design and detailing, construction quality, construction documents, soil conditions, construction oversight, and structural modifications. Andrew Whittaker, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering, explains these contributing elements.

In the United States, modern reinforced concrete buildings are designed to tolerate damage in the event of severe earthquake shaking and will not collapse. This same philosophy has been adopted in many other countries, and Turkey is not an exception. Nonetheless, these buildings may still collapse if the construction quality is poor, design errors have been made, the shaking is more intense than expected, or a combination of these factors has been present.

These brought up so many questions, and the BBC started investigating to find out the answer.

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BBC’s Findings

To find the answer to why So Many Buildings collapsed in Turkey's earthquake, the BBC has investigated buildings that have turned into debris.

Modern construction techniques mean constructing buildings in such a way that they can withstand such earthquakes. In addition, regulations that have been in place since previous earthquake disasters in Turkey in 1999 have also been made to ensure that buildings under construction are earthquake resistant.

Of the three new buildings the BBC investigated that collapsed, footage on social media showed people nearby screaming and running for shelter when the quake struck. The lower half of the building in Malatya collapsed, the rest of the upper part standing tilted on dust and debris. The apartment was built last year, and screenshots shared on social media show an advertisement that says the building has been 'constructed following the latest earthquake regulations.' The equipment and workmanship used were all of 'first-class quality,' claimed the ad. But it collapsed!

Being recently built, it followed the latest regulations of 2018, which require high-quality concrete and steel bars to reinforce buildings in earthquake-prone areas. Columns and beams should be spaced so that they can withstand earthquake shocks. However, the BBC could not verify whether the building actually followed these regulations.

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So many buildings have collapsed in the affected areas that many in Turkey are now questioning the nature and effectiveness of building regulations. Although this earthquake was relatively strong, experts believe that a properly constructed building could have survived the shock.

Professor David Alexander, an expert in emergency planning and management at University College London, said the earthquake was strong but not so strong that it would knock over well-constructed buildings. Tremors were lower than the maximum magnitude (7.8) in most areas. Of the thousands of buildings that have collapsed, we can say that almost all of them were not built in accordance with seismic building codes.

It indicates that there was no enforcement of the building code.

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Why Is the Enforcement of Building Regulations Weak?

In Turkey, over the years, the government has been giving permission to constructions that do not comply with building regulations by taking some fines. They have been giving this opportunity since the 1960s.

According to the Istanbul head of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects Chamber of City Planners, Pelin Pinar Giritlioglu, about 75,000 buildings in earthquake-prone areas of southern Turkey have received this exemption. Turkish media reported days before this earthquake that a new draft law was awaiting parliamentary approval that would have included exemptions for structures built recently outside regulations.

The outer part of the earth's crust (surface) is made up of many pieces called tectonic plates. These plates were initially together after the creation of the earth, then gradually moved over millions of years to form the separate positions of the different continents.

The boundaries of these moving plates are known as 'systems of faults.' A fault is a split between two wide plates. When stress builds up in these faults in tectonic plates, they suddenly shake and cause earthquakes. Two such fault lines pass through the territory of Turkey, which are called the 'North Anatolian Fault Line' and 'The East Anatolian Fault Line.' Being located on these two fault lines, Turkey is one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the world.

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It is a 'crime' to offer concessions in exchange for fines for building in a country that lies on such a fault line, Turkish geologist Celâl Şengör said earlier this year. And the Turkish people have already been paid for this with their lives. Buğra Gökçe, a senior Istanbul municipality official, has revealed that 294,000 structures in the area damaged by last week's earthquakes have been granted construction exemptions.

After another deadly earthquake in the country's western province of Izmir in 2020, 672,000 buildings in the city received such concessions, a BBC report said.

Final Words

The exact number of buildings that were included in the exemptions remains uncertain. As rescue teams continue to search for survivors, investigations have started to uncover evidence.

Experts have warned that independent legal committees must collect samples of concrete, beams, and steel support rods from collapsed buildings and request the buildings' permits and licensing paperwork from local governments, as well as confirm that subcontractors have followed building safety standards and regulations. Lawyers have also been informed of attempts to hide the evidence.

Turkey’s next move regarding the safety of the buildings can save millions of people from any disastrous earthquake.

Read More: Turkey earthquake survivors face despair, as rescues wane

Taking lessons from the massive building collapse in the Turkey-earthquake, the governments of other countries can strengthen building regulations and enforce building codes that can minimize the risks of the destruction of lives and properties in natural disasters, especially earthquakes.