FEBRUARY 26: On Saturday, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 184 suspects, including construction contractors and landlords, had already been arrested.
For years, experts warned that endemic corruption and government policies meant that many new buildings were not safe.
The number of confirmed deaths in Turkey and Syria has now surpassed 50,000.
Bozdag made the televised remarks from southeastern Turkey, where the magnitude 7.8 quake struck and was followed by another powerful tremor a few hours later.
His comments showed how the investigation had expanded: Two weeks ago, authorities said 113 arrest warrants had been issued.
Among those arrested is the mayor of one of the cities near where the tremors occurred, Turkish media reported.
More than 160,000 buildings collapsed or suffered heavy damage in Turkey after the quakes, raising questions about whether the impact of the natural disaster was worsened by human fault.
Opposition parties and some construction experts accuse the administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of failing to enforce building regulations and trying to deflect general blame for the disaster.
They say government policies have allowed so-called amnesties for contractors who deviated from building regulations, in order to encourage a building boom, even in earthquake-prone regions.
Erdogan has admitted shortcomings, but seems to blame fate for the magnitude of the disaster.
“Those things have always happened. It’s part of destiny’s plan,” he said during a recent visit to the region.
With elections on the horizon, Erdogan’s future hangs in the balance after 20 years in power, and his pleas for national unity have gone unheeded.
