Geologist: Possible Istanbul earthquake may be fatal for millions

Prominent Turkish geologist Naci Gorur warned that areas in 24 provinces of Turkey are built on earthquake fault lines, and up to 4 million people will face fatal consequences in case a quake strikes Istanbul where there are over 90,000 risk prone buildings.

Speaking at a conference on Friday in the southern city of Antalya, Gorur, a member of Turkey's Science Academy and professor at Istanbul Technical University, dismissed earlier comments following the devastating twin earthquakes on 6 February that the catastrophic outcome was due to the unprecedented magnitude of the disaster.

"Do not take seriously remarks that what happened on 6 February was the disaster of the century," Gorur said. "People have witnessed so many more disasters in the last century (...) We had been warning for years that an earthquake like that would eventually strike. I warned after the Elazig earthquake [in 2020] to beware of a possible earthquake in Maras, Malatya, Celikhan and Hatay. I said a high magnitude earthquake was now much more likely."

He continued:

"Tens of thousands of people were killed by the earthquake. The victims have been forgotten even before their dead bodies are cold. Mayors of cities where thousands including their own family members died, governors, the government, they have all failed to confront the the earthquake."

Noting that settlements in 24 provinces are built on earthquake fault lines, he said:

"We can have only one solution after 6 February: To build earthquake-resistant settlements. If the settlement in question is a village, then we must build an earthquake-resistant village, if it's a town, then the town should be made earthquake-resistant. I will struggle to achieve this, and we'll mobilize people and make sure that the government eventually grasps the most alarming fact about our country."