Istanbul Prepares for Possible Devastating Earthquake

The Turkish authorities have announced the commencement of preparations for a potential powerful earthquake in Istanbul, as warned by seismologists. This was stated during a press conference by Turkey's Minister of Environment and Urbanization, Mehmet Ozhaseki, as reported by TASS.

“We met with Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and district heads to discuss the potential earthquake, and we reached a fundamental agreement,” he said.

Ozhaseki noted that preparations for the 17 million-strong city will begin next week.

On July 12, Professor Haluk Eyidoğan, a member of the Istanbul Municipality's Council of Earthquake Scientists, predicted underground tremors with a magnitude of 7.2 to 7.6 in the Sea of Marmara. He stated that the probability of a seismic event before 2030 is approximately 50 percent, based on a detailed study of the region’s 2000-year history of earthquakes, as well as analysis from modern geophysical and seismic studies.