Turkey investigates building contractors as quake toll rises

Turkey will widen an investigation into building contractors suspected of violating safety standards following its devastating earthquake, as the country stepped up housing plans for victims.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 564 suspects had been identified so far, with 160 people formally arrested and many more still under investigation.
President Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild housing within one year.
In power for two decades, Erdogan faces elections within four months. Even before the quake, opinion polls showed he was under pressure from a cost of living crisis, which could worsen as the disaster has disrupted agricultural production.
Soylu said some 313,000 tents had been erected, with 100,000 container homes to be installed in the earthquake zone.
The number of people killed in Turkey in this month’s devastating earthquakes has risen to 43,556, Soylu said overnight.