British media analyzed the Renaissance Residence destroyed in the earthquake: From heaven to hell
The British newspaper Financial Times, one of the most entrenched media organizations in the world, carried out a comprehensive news-archive on the Rönesans Residence, where many people died in the earthquake…
The newspaper wrote that the Renaissance Residence, which was built in 2011 and marketed as a “corner of paradise”, is the grave of many famous and respected people. In its story headlined “From Heaven to Hell,” the newspaper noted that “the Renaissance Residence, which was inaugurated by the then justice minister, Hatay governor, mayor and police chief, was expected to be a benchmark of the luxury Living and quality construction for southern Turkey But 12 years later, the iPhone-shaped building with 249 apartments and a swimming pool became a disaster.
This is how the British newspaper showed the stages of construction and demolition of the Renaissance Residence.
The newspaper, which stated that detailed investigations should be carried out into how and why the building was destroyed, tried to analyze the problem by consulting experts. Although it was stated that the people who lost their lives in the earthquake reached 50,000 and that most of the destroyed buildings were less than 20 years old, the soccer player Christian Atsu affirmed that people with professions such as lawyers, national handball players, banks and dentists they lost their lives in the building. “Anyone looking at the list of people staying in the building estimates that at least 750 people are below the building,” the Financial Times said.
The Financial Times brought Renaissance Residence to their headlines. While the newspaper headlined “From Heaven to Hell”, it included the statement “How a luxury building in Turkey became a death trap in an earthquake.”
The Şahin family, who agreed with the contractor to build a luxury building on the land, spoke to the Financial Times. The Şahin family said: “We questioned the security of the building, but we didn’t think it would be that big. We woke up when the news of the earthquake came, but we thought that everyone would be safe in the Renaissance. None of us expected that much,” he said.
Experts who spoke to the newspaper stated that the dimensions of the Renaissance Residence should take center stage.
About Mehmet Yaşar Coşkun, the building’s contractor, who was later caught trying to flee the country, the family said: “We think we found the best people for this project. We were impressed with their professionalism and we trust them. But Coşkunlar never lived in the Renaissance. This really surprised us,” he said.
It was indicated that the quality and thickness of the earthquake wall should be examined.
Saying that his Uğur brothers and his nephew were under the building, Gökhan Şahin said, “The most painful thing is not knowing how they died. Did they die right after the earthquake or did they die waiting for days? It was also recorded that an attempt was made to identify Uğur’s DNA.
Experts who spoke to the Financial Times said the quality of the design and construction of the Renaissance Residence, which was destroyed in this quake, should be examined.
The foundation of the building was mentioned as one of the reasons for the demolition of the building in this way.
A security guard who spoke to the Financial Times said the Rönesans Residence withstood an earthquake for 40 seconds, but then collapsed. Speaking to the newspaper, expert Alessandro Margnelli said the floor of the building should be checked and the foundations examined. On the other hand, the experts pointed out that the material used is of vital importance.