Istanbul Mayor Warns of 90,000 Buildings at Risk in Major Quake

Amidst the devastating aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Northern Syria, Istanbul's Mayor Ekrum Imamoglu is warning that some 90,000 buildings could be at risk of collapsing if a major earthquake strikes Turkey's largest city.^[0]

Turkey is located in a region that is crossed by multiple fault lines, making it prone to earthquakes.^[1] Last week, two major earthquakes struck the country’s southeastern region, with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 respectively, resulting in thousands of deaths and the collapse of thousands of buildings.^[1]

On a Turkish TV program, Imamoglu reported that the number of buildings thought to be in danger of collapsing in an earthquake is almost twice as much as what the prior administration estimated.^[2] He urged that “we have to move very fast” to improve the structures and bring them in line with Turkey's construction codes for building in earthquake-prone areas.^[2]

This warning comes as crews are still working to find victims from last week's quake, and as the death toll from the earthquakes continues to rise.

0. “Istanbul's mayor warns 90000 buildings are at risk if a major earthquake strikes” KUNC, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.kunc.org/npr-news/2023-02-15/istanbuls-mayor-warns-90-000-buildings-are-at-risk-if-a-major-earthquake-strikes

1. “‘90,000 buildings have risk of collapsing in major quake in Istanbul'” Duvar English, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.duvarenglish.com/istanbul-mayor-imamoglu-warns-about-risk-of-90000-buildings-collapsing-in-expected-major-quake-news-61848

2. “Istanbul's mayor warns 90,000 buildings are at risk if a major earthquake strikes” WAMU 88.5, 15 Feb. 2023, https://wamu.org/story/23/02/15/istanbuls-mayor-warns-90000-buildings-are-at-risk-if-a-major-earthquake-strikes