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Turkey's lax policing of building codes known before quake

Destroyed buildings are seen from above in Antakya, southeastern Turkey, Thursday, February 9, 2023. [AP Photo]

Turkey has for years tempted fate by not enforcing modern construction codes while allowing and in some cases, encouraging a real estate boom in earthquake-prone areas, experts say.

The lax enforcement, which experts in geology and engineering have long warned about, is gaining renewed scrutiny in the aftermath of this week's devastating earthquakes, which flattened thousands of buildings and killed more than 23,000 people across Turkey and Syria.

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