Turkish police on Tuesday detained the contractor of a building in the Black Sea region that collapsed in last week’s devastating flooding, Diken news site reported.
The suspect was taken into custody by Istanbul police in connection to the collapse of the eight-storey building in the town of Bozkurt in northern Kastamonu province, which was badly hit by the fatal floods, it said.
At least 77 people were killed when Turkey’s northwestern Black Sea provinces were hit by torrential rains on Aug. 11.
The flooding demolished homes and bridges, sweeping away cars and blocking access to numerous roads, prompting public outrage over an inadequate response by the government while experts cited human interference with rivers and improper construction.
The country’s disaster management agency, AFAD, on Tuesday announced that 34 people were still missing in the region.
A total of 26 people remain unaccounted for in northern Kastamonu province, while eight others were reported missing in Sinop province, the country’s disaster management agency, AFAD, said on Tuesday.