After the two major earthquakes with an epicentre in Maraş, which claimed the lives of at least 39,672 people, the preliminary investigation report prepared by Istanbul Technical University (ITU) on the earthquake region was published. ITU said that teams of experts from fields such as civil engineering, geological engineering, geophysical engineering and architecture were established to assess the damage immediately after the earthquake and conduct a preliminary investigation in the region.

The report stated that there are many factors leading to the collapse of buildings. But the most obvious reasons for the collapse were "the age of the buildings, the low bearing capacity of the floors on which the foundations sit, the quality of the materials used in the construction, the fact that the structural system elements were not built in accordance with the regulations in force at the time of its construction, other construction defects, and the difference in the floor levels of the buildings built in in adjacent order.”

The report also observed that, in Hatay, for example, “due to the effect of soil liquefaction, the buildings sink into the ground depending on the characteristics of the foundation system. As a result of these earthquakes, hospitals and some public buildings, which were built in accordance with the regulation on reinforced concrete buildings in areas at risk, have shown once again that the structural damage that may occur can be very limited.”

In the recommendations, ITU wrote: "Regulations that legalize unhealthy and unsafe building construction, such as zoning amnesty and zoning peace, which are not based on a scientific basis, should end. Natural thresholds should be taken as a basis in the reconstruction process, and construction in these areas should not be allowed except for cultural assets in the new planning process."