Curtain walls converted to columns in Dulkadiroğlu building that became tomb for 18 in earthquake

A new expert report prepared by 7 academics from Kastamonu University has been entered into the court file in the Akerman Apartment case in Kahramanmaraş's Dulkadiroğlu district, where the building collapsed during the February 6 earthquakes and caused 18 deaths.

According to the report obtained by ANKA News Agency, load-bearing elements designed as curtain walls in the structure were converted to columns, the basement was illegally expanded, concrete and reinforcement quality was insufficient, stirrup hooks were made at 90 degrees instead of 135 degrees, and stirrup densification zones were not created.

The report stated that the building, constructed in 2010 as a 3-story structure consisting of basement, ground floor and one normal floor, had 3 additional stories added in 2016, and the structure subsequently received a Building Registration Certificate under the Amnesty for Construction. The expert committee emphasized that this certificate did not address safety deficiencies in the load-bearing system.

Ali Dökme, who appeared as the building owner in the initial permit, and Salih Dökme, the building owner in the additional-story permits, were found primarily at fault. Kazım Ceviz, the contractor in the 2016 additional-story permit, Şenol Korkmaz, the technical responsible party in the initial permit, and Çağrı Bilir, the site supervisor, were also evaluated as primarily at fault. In the report, 8 defendants were found primarily at fault, 2 defendants were found secondarily at fault, while no fault was determined for 7 defendants.

The Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had filed charges for causing death and injury through conscious negligence against the building owners, contractor, project designers, technical responsible parties, site supervisor and building inspectors, as well as 7 public officials who served in the Kahramanmaraş and Dulkadiroğlu municipalities at the time.

In the case being heard at Kahramanmaraş 5th Heavy Criminal Court, the file was initially sent to Dokuz Eylül University due to contradictions between two expert reports; after no report was submitted within approximately 1.5 years, the court directed the file to Kastamonu University at the seventh hearing on July 2, 2026.