Building tycoon tries to flee Turkey after ‘1,000 people buried’ in luxury flats

A BUILDING tycoon was caught trying to leave the country after a block of his luxury flats crushed 1,000 people to death.

Turkish builders have faced intense scrutiny after buildings collapsed in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which has crippled Turkey and Syria.

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The real estate mogul was arrested at Istanbul airport while attempting to flee to Montenegro after his “paradise” flats collapsed in the quake.

Mehmet Yaşar Coşkun is the contractor of the Rönesans Residence block which collapsed in Antakya.

The luxury flats were completed in 2013, when Coşkun shared photos of the residence to his social media.

He said: “A frame from heaven, Rönesans Residence.”

The Antakya 12-story building had 250 apartments, but collapsed over its pool and damaged nearby buildings.

Upwards of 1,000 people are thought to be buried under the destroyed building.

113 arrest warrants have bene issued for builders after the devastating earthquake hit on February 6.

One of the arrested builders said: “My conscience is clear. I built 44 buildings. Four of them were demolished. I did everything according to the rules.”

Reports have revealed many areas of Turkey have ignored modern construction codes to allow a real-estate “boom” earthquake-prone areas.

Modern construction techniques require buildings to withstand major earthquakes, but Turkish government has come under fire for overlooking violations of regulations.

A 1999 earthquake around the city of Izmit resulted in tighter regulations and an “earthquake tax” to ensure buildings were all fitted with necessary elements to withstand the quakes.

In Turkey the government has legal exemptions for the payment of a fee to allow structures to be built without the required safety certificates.

The small fees paid by contractors have resulted in the deaths of thousands of citizens across southern Turkey.

Journalist Kay Burley shared a clip on Twitter showing two buildings in a striking comparison of a building made according to code, and a collapsed one that wasn’t.

She said: “This is the building for civil engineers.

“And this is next door.”

Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum said 24,921 buildings across the region either collapsed or were damaged in the quake.

Turkey’s Vice President said: “We will follow this up meticulously until the necessary judicial process is concluded, especially for buildings that suffered heavy damage and buildings that caused deaths and injuries.”

The Sun’s Earthquake Appeal has raised more than £1million, and has been hailed the “best of British” by Rishi Sunak.

The PM heaped praise on everyone who has donated cash to help victims of the catastrophe that has left more than 33,000 people dead.

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