VIDEO CNN's Kalin Thomas-Samuel reports that the Turkish government believes tourism will help rebuild the country (August 27) Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Jim Bittermann looks at buildings damaged in the Turkish quake (August 27) Windows Media 28K 80K  GALLERIES: A country lies shattered The story of a rescue INTERACTIVE: Chronology of major earthquakes over the last 20 years MESSAGE BOARDS: Turkey Quake RELATED AUDIO Click here to listen to reactions to the earthquake in Turkey

August 27, 1999
Web posted at: 7:44 p.m. EDT (2344 GMT)

In this story: Rescuers: Late start cost lives In Ihsaniye, a fruitless search Contractors, inspectors criticized RELATED STORIES, SITES

ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) -- The governor of Turkey's largest city announced an investigation of building contractors Friday as Turkish officials said the number of homeless from the August 17 earthquake could top half a million.

Istanbul Gov. Erol Cakir said shoddy work by unscrupulous contractors may have contributed to the massive death toll in the earthquake, which left tens of thousands trapped in the ruins of collapsed buildings. Cakir said he will pursue a case against builders suspected of cutting corners.

"We are making a great effort to achieve justice," he told a news conference.

The death toll from the magnitude 7.4 quake stood at nearly 13,500 Friday, with about 30,000 still missing. Another 500,000 or more are homeless, government officials estimated Friday. Turkish officials have promised to build as many as 120,000 prefabricated homes within 40 days to house them.

Before Friday, the government had said only that quake homeless numbered in the tens of thousands, ranging up to 200,000.

Turkey's government called for people to return to their homes if they can, but the collapse of so many structures has left many survivors mistrustful. Though homes have to be judged safe by engineering authorities, those same authorities approved the construction of many homes that fell during the quake.

New aid arrived Friday as Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived for a visit. Sharif brought with him six planeloads of emergency supplies, including tents, blankets and medical equipment.

But Turkey will need more than short-term help for its survivors: Economy Minister Recep Onal has told the United Nations that reconstruction could cost $10 billion.

Turkey's economy, which had shown signs of growth, has been devastated by the quake.

Turkish authorities struggled to care for the survivors, but criticism of their slow initial response continued.

In Derince, 150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Istanbul, the second-guessing grows as the rubble piles shrink. No one denies that Turkey's earthquake was a major natural disaster that couldn't have been prevented, but some wonder if more people might have been saved.

The fire and rescue task force from the Miami area -- one of the last international rescue teams to leave Derince -- was going home frustrated at having arrived in time to assist in only four rescues.

The team was ready to go within hours of the earthquake, but was delayed first by slow authorization to travel, then by bad weather.

"Without a doubt, if we had been here 48 hours earlier, we would have been able to perform a lot more live rescues -- a lot more," task force engineer Robert Sullivan said.

Once they arrived -- four days after the quake -- they say they found rescue efforts poorly directed. The Turkish military did not even show up at the U.S. rescue team base to assess their capabilities until five days into the disaster.

"We were getting some direction, but conflicting information," task force leader John Neudorff said. "It's quite frustrating."

Meanwhile, a frantic search for a possible survivor was called off Friday after rescue teams found no signs of life beneath the ruins of a five-story apartment building.

Rescuers Thursday evening began burrowing through a mountain of twisted concrete and steel in the small village of Ihsaniye after hearing what sounded like cries for help.

"I believe I heard with my ears sort of a muffled moan and then with a stethoscope knocking on concrete, said Betty Arwa, an American volunteering with search efforts. "We asked the person to knock on concrete, if indeed there was a person there, and I believe I heard knocking," she said.

Teams of rescuers used drills and other equipment to dig through the debris, and tried to prop up what was left of the building.

But the exhaustive search was called off at about 4 a.m. Friday without finding survivors. Despite occasional attempts like that at Ishaniye, all realistic hope of finding anyone else alive in the rubble is now gone.

In the quake's aftermath, Istanbul residents have turned their anger on Turkey's construction industry. One contractor who built hundreds of flats in the disaster area is believed to be in hiding.

In the worst-hit areas of the country's industrialized northwest, virtually intact buildings stand next to those reduced to rubble. But experts say builders should not get all the blame.

"The contractors are guilty, but we can't make them the scapegoats," said Kadem Karaagac, secretary of the Istanbul Town Planners' Association. "The local authorities did not make sure regulations were implemented."

Turkey's construction industry has boomed, "People are encouraged to build quickly and cheaply," said Yildiz Uysal, of the Istanbul Architects' Association.

Experts say that sometimes involves skimping on steel girders; mixing sea sand with cement; eliminating structurally important columns; and even skirting regulations to put buildings up on unsuitable land.

"It looks like more or less all the buildings that collapsed were constructed with inadequate materials," added Karaagac. "Probably only a handful would have collapsed if they had been properly built."

Correspondents Mike Hanna and Jim Bittermann contributed to this report.

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