Is Turkey’s earthquake clean-up operation a disaster in the making?

In the aftermath of the devastating quakes in February, a new threat has emerged: mountains of rubble that locals fear are loaded with toxic chemicals that will soon be released, finds Kareem Fahim

Residents of a building in Samandag that was demolished watch as the rubble is sorted and removed (Nicole Tung/Washington Post)

At all hours the dump trucks arrive, hauling earthquake rubble to what has become a growing mountain by the sea – of concrete and steel and blankets and bikes and, residents worry, a stew of toxic substances waiting to be released.

On one side of the spreading mound is a tent camp for people who lost their homes in the earthquakes, where the eyes of some of the occupants have begun to burn. On another is the Capa Restaurant, which serves fish on Samandag’s Mediterranean shore.

“We protested a lot. But they never stopped,” says Isa Micoogullari, the restaurant’s owner, who had planned to reopen soon. But as the debris heap grew, sending plumes of dust toward the restaurant, he reconsidered for the safety of his staff and customers.