Turkish police have reportedly arrested the contractor of Rönesans Residence which was destroyed in the earthquake that hit southeastern Turkey on Monday, February 6, 2023.

Mehmet Yaşar Coşkun was detained at the Istanbul airport while attempting to leave the country.

The 12-story Rönesans Residence, which has 250 apartments and was completed in 2013 in Hatay’s Antakya district, collapsed following the earthquake trapping about a thousand residents including Ghanaian footballer, Christian Atsu.

Some 170 Turkish lawyers filed a joint criminal complaint against the contractors of the building demanding an investigation into its collapse.

The contractor was subsequently detained at the airport on Friday, February 10, 2023, on the orders public prosecutors.

Reports say Yaşar Coşkun at the time of his arrest was leaving the country with his destination being Montenegro.

He was said to be carrying an unspecified cash amount at the time of his arrest.

He was taken to the police station later, where he was interrogated.

Afterwards, he was referred to a court which ordered that he be remanded pending trial.

Christian Atsu trapped under earthquake rubble

On Monday, February 6, 2023, Christian Atsu was reported to have been trapped under earthquake rubble alongside his club Hatayspor’s technical director, Taner Savut, following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit south-central Turkey and Syria.

A day later, another story broke that the former Chelsea winger had been pulled out of the debris, but Taner Savut was still missing.

However, the report about Atsu’s discovery was later retold after Hatayspor Board Member Mustafa Ozat stated that the information was false and admitted to contributing to misinformation.

The conflicting reports about the player’s whereabouts became a major source of concern, prompting his agent, Nana Sechere, to go to the grounds and investigate for himself.

Turkish journalist Yaz Sabuncuolu claims Nana Sechere and his entourage have touched down in Turkey and have been to the place Atsu was staying before the earthquake alongside some friends of Taner Savut.

Meanwhile, GhanaWeb has sighted video footage of the moment security officials accosted Mehmet Yaşar Coşkun at the Istanbul airport.