Discovering the Truth Behind Her Son's Death: The Unveiling of a Grieving Mother in the Turkey Earthquake

A devastating earthquake hit southern Turkey on February 6, 2023, resulting in the death of over 55,000 individuals. It has become evident that the implementation of building regulations could have saved numerous lives. One mother, Nurgül Göksu, has taken it upon herself to uncover the reasons behind the collapse of the building in which her loved ones resided. Nurgül was an ordinary housewife who enjoyed cooking, with "içli köfte" being one of her favorite recipes. She resided on the outskirts of Istanbul, while her son Ahmet Can Zabun, who was 31 years old and married with a young child, lived in the city of Kahramanmaras in the southeast. Although Ahmet Can was not Nurgül's only child, their relationship was special as he was her oldest son, conceived when she was a teenager. Nurgül had supported him through university, and both he and his wife Nesibe were lawyers. In contrast, Nurgül had never attended university and completed her education externally. When the earthquake struck Kahramanmaras, Ahmet Can's building, along with approximately 7,000 others, collapsed. In desperation, Nurgül traveled to the city to search for her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild, whom she refers to as her "three children." While much of the neighborhood appeared minimally affected by the earthquake, Ahmet Can's residential block, known as the Ezgi Building, was one of the few completely destroyed. This pattern of some buildings collapsing while neighboring ones remained intact occurred throughout other regions affected by the earthquake, leaving many in Turkey questioning why some buildings failed while others did not, despite similar characteristics. Nurgül anxiously awaited news as the rescue teams combed through the wreckage of the Ezgi Building. Tragically, after eight days, the bodies of Ahmet Can, Nesibe, and their six-month-old daughter Asude, Nurgül's granddaughter, were recovered. Overwhelmed by grief, Nurgül declares, "Losing not just one but three children is truly hard." She established social media accounts following the disaster to prevent her loved ones' deaths from being forgotten, where she regularly shares family photos. Motivated by the collapse of her family's building, Nurgül sought to investigate the reasons behind its failure compared to others that remained standing. She consulted with local civil engineers and construction experts, educating herself on how to find before-and-after photos online and understand building regulations and approval processes for alterations. In June of the previous year, she stumbled upon a BBC Turkish video on YouTube about a building collapse in Izmir following a 2020 earthquake. Nurgül reached out to the BBC for help in analyzing the Ezgi Building collapse. Over the course of several months, they maintained contact as she continued her investigation into the building's alterations and renovations. Nurgül's findings were presented graphically, as she collected as much evidence as possible at the location where she lost her child. She discovered that investigations into violations of building regulations in many earthquake-affected areas were being closed due to insufficient evidence. Determined to prevent this from happening to her own investigation, Nurgül conducted numerous TV interviews to bring attention to her case. Despite not previously being an avid social media user, she created an Instagram account dedicated to the Ezgi Building, gathering information from other bereaved families and building experts. Nurgül emphasized that the prosecutor could have used public records to gather evidence about the building's initial construction. However, she wanted all parties involved in the collapse to be held accountable, focusing on gathering evidence of the subsequent restorations and alterations. When the prosecutor's office initiated an inquiry and commissioned an expert report on the Ezgi Building collapse, Nurgül's evidence became a crucial contribution. The report, completed in July 2023, revealed that numerous alterations to the building were carried out in violation of existing regulations and were illegal. Dr. Beyza Taşkın, an associate professor of civil engineering at Istanbul Technical University, highlighted that the intact surrounding buildings signaled a significant structural issue with the Ezgi Building. The report also identified a key support element that was either poorly constructed or later modified. Moreover, official lab analysis indicated that certain materials and construction processes did not meet approved standards. The collapse of the Ezgi Building brought attention to the earlier renovation of a ground floor café, raising questions about its impact on the building's structure. The renovation involved merging three separate units to create one large area and included the installation of a service lift, resulting in the removal of part of the floor and the creation of multiple large ventilation holes in the curtain walls. Additionally, a load-bearing wall that had been in the original design mysteriously disappeared during alterations. In 2021, residents of the Ezgi Building signed a petition urging local authorities to inspect the causes of the collapse due to concerns regarding the compromised structural integrity resulting from the renovations. In response, the authorities stated that they found "no deviation" from the original architectural project. Nurgül questions why her plea for help was disregarded and if the authorities even inspected the building. Following the completion of the collapse report, the prosecutor's office initiated a criminal case. The interior designer of the café on the ground floor and the engineer responsible for the initial construction of the building were arrested in September 2023 and are awaiting trial. Although an arrest warrant was issued for the building contractor, it remains unexecuted, likely due to his age. The contractor's lawyer dismissed the accusations, placing blame on the later alterations. The café owners, who also faced arrest, disappeared and are currently at large. They previously denied any violation of building regulations in the café renovations via social media. The local authorities are yet to be questioned regarding their role. The Ezgi case is not unique, as numerous cases related to faulty constructions and illegal building alterations have been opened in earthquake-affected areas. The Turkish Ministry of Justice reported over 350 arrests in such cases in July of the previous year. While advocating for her own case, Nurgül has also been assisting others by sharing her knowledge of building regulations, civil engineering, and open-source intelligence. She remains determined to hold those responsible for the collapse accountable to prevent the bypassing or violation of building regulations in the future. Nurgül asserts, "Maybe for the sake of the Ezgi Building, such things will not happen in the future. I am fighting to set an example."