Turkey Prepares for 'Istanbul Earthquake'... Focus on Structural Improvements of Buildings

Regarding concerns that a major earthquake may strike Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, in the near future, the local daily Hurriyet reported on the 9th (local time) that comprehensive disaster response measures are being prepared.

Mehmet ?zhaseki, Minister of Environment and Urban Planning, recently told reporters about the potential earthquake risk in Istanbul, stating, "Our ministry has submitted a comprehensive plan to the cabinet." He added, "The project focused on strengthening Istanbul has been completed and will be disclosed within 10 days."

Photo by Yonhap News

Following the disaster on February 6th, when two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.5 struck southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border, killing about 50,000 people, concerns have resurfaced that a strong earthquake could soon occur in Istanbul, which is surrounded by several tectonic plates.

These concerns have intensified especially after a magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred on the 4th of this month in the sea off Bursa, located not far from Istanbul in the west.

The Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning is focusing on structurally improving the widely distributed aging buildings in the Istanbul area by adding or reinforcing seismic designs, Minister ?zhaseki explained.

Minister ?zhaseki emphasized, "People want to bury the earthquake in their memories, but reality continues," and added, "We are also striving to help earthquake-affected areas such as Hatay and Kahramanmara? regain vitality as soon as possible."

Previously, in 1999, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake occurred on the eastern outskirts of Istanbul, resulting in 19,000 deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.