More than a thousand people in Istanbul sought refuge in mosques, schools, and other temporary shelters on Thursday, following a powerful magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck the Turkish metropolis a day earlier. The tremor has raised concerns about the city’s readiness for future seismic events, with approximately 1.5 million buildings at risk, according to authorities.
Wednesday’s earthquake prompted citizens to flee their homes in panic, reminiscent of the devastating 2023 quake that hit southeastern Turkey. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported, but the incident highlighted the ongoing vulnerability of Istanbul, which sits just north of a major fault line crossing the Marmara Sea. Data from 2023 indicated that nearly 5 million of the city’s 16 million residents live in buildings at high risk of collapse.
While the government acknowledged the urgent need to prepare the city for a larger earthquake, opposition parties, including those led by Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, criticized the lack of action from the central government. Imamoglu, currently imprisoned on politically charged charges, expressed his sadness at being unable to assist during the crisis.
Authorities confirmed that around 101,000 people received shelter in mosques, schools, and dormitories, while others resorted to tents or sleeping in vehicles. Seven buildings sustained minor damage, and dozens of people were injured after jumping from their homes during the tremor.
The urbanization minister, Murat Kurum, emphasized that a third of the city’s 1.5 million at-risk buildings urgently need transformation to avoid further devastation. The city’s municipal government is pushing for infrastructure reforms and the creation of an Istanbul Earthquake Council to address these vulnerabilities.
The recent quake brought back painful memories of the catastrophic February 2023 earthquake, which killed over 55,000 people, and the 1999 earthquake that claimed 17,000 lives near Istanbul.
Source: Swifteradio.com
