Why So Many Buildings Collapsed in Turkey

<p>The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6 left more than 50,000 people dead. The sight of rescuers combing the rubble has prompted questions about why so many buildings seemed so inadequate to resist the shaking earth.</p><p>In Turkey, the government has turned the focus onto builders and property developers, accusing them of chasing profit over safety. But the reality is far more complicated.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/ben-hubbard?smid=pc-thedaily">Ben Hubbard</a>, the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times.</p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Some in Turkey wonder whether the number of fatalities caused by the quake<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/23/world/middleeast/turkish-builders-come-under-intense-scrutiny-over-shoddy-construction.html"> could have been cut significantly</a> with better building standards.</li><li>As the death toll rose, the Turkish government<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/11/world/middleeast/turkey-syria-earthquake.html"> came under growing criticism</a>.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>