At 4:17 a.m. on Tuesday, thousands of people in cities across southern Turkey gathered to cry, light candles and chant against the government, marking the moment a year ago that a powerful earthquake devastated the region.
The 7.8-magnitude quake, followed by a second violent tremor hours later, damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings, killing more than 53,000 people in southern Turkey and another 6,000 people in northern Syria.
It was the area’s broadest and deadliest earthquake in hundreds of years.
Many accused building contractors of cutting corners to increase their profits and the government of failing to enforce safe building standards.
That vow remains only partly fulfilled, and efforts to hold people accountable over faulty constructions are proceeding slowly.
Persons:
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Locations:
Turkey, Syria