All 12 Floors Collapsed in an Instant: Architect of Building in Hatay, Turkey Arrested

The chief architect of a residential complex in Hatay province, Turkey, has been arrested at the airport. The residential building literally collapsed during the earthquake, reports RIA Novosti.

Mehmed Yasar Choskun, the chief architect who received millions of lira for the sale of 250 apartments in the complex, was arrested at Istanbul Airport while attempting to fly to Montenegro. A travel ban had been imposed by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Turkey’s Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdağ had previously stated that no one would escape punishment for the negligence that led to the collapse of buildings during the devastating earthquake in the southeastern part of the country.

The complex was built in 2012. The apartments are valued between 1.5 million and 3 million lira (equivalent to 800,000 to 1.6 million dollars based on the 2012 exchange rate). All 12 floors collapsed instantaneously, unable to withstand the force of nature. The whereabouts of the brother of the construction company co-owner and engineer Choksun are still unknown.