20% Blames Culprits for Demolished Galeria Site.
An investigation into the buildings destroyed during the earthquake in Diyarbakır, Turkey is underway. The Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is overseeing the investigation, led by a deputy public prosecutor and three prosecutors working in the “Earthquake Investigation Bureau.” The missing 31-page report on the demolished Mimar Sinan Street site, under which the Galeria Business Center is located, has led to the creation of a new 10-page additional report. This new report includes information on the percentage of responsibility and justifications based on measurements, observations, and test reports.
The report clarified that the destruction of the building is the responsibility of those involved in the construction process. In addition, it was revealed that the building managers and shopping mall management failed to provide the necessary safety precautions during the evacuation process.
An earthquake occurred in the Lice district of Diyarbakır on September 6, 1975, with a magnitude of 6.6. 8,149 buildings were damaged, and 2,385 people died due to the collapse. The report revealed that as a result of this earthquake, Diyarbakır was written as a second-degree earthquake zone in the building specification. The earthquake design load was higher than the legislation’s design load. Also, the report highlighted the lack of mandatory earthquake curtain application in the regulation, attributing the responsibility of the institution that prepared the regulation at 15%.
The report also noted there were 2 projects for the Galeria site, and both project managers were responsible for incorrect application and system selection. The responsibility rate was 20%. The contractors and companies involved in the project, the site supervisor, and the building were also found responsible. The technical responsibility and surveillance of the production of concrete with insufficient strength and weak floor effect in the building also played a significant role in the building’s collapse.
The report concluded that changes in the position of the columns beneath the building, the removal of walls shown in the architectural plan, irregularities such as opening stairwells in the floors, and designing and implementing a building system not preferred in earthquake zones caused the building’s collapse.
