Istanbul to Begin Preparations for Possible Earthquake

Next week, Istanbul will start preparations for a possible earthquake. This was announced by Turkey's Minister of Environment and Urbanization, Mehmet Ozhasekin, according to ТАSS.

Seismologists had previously warned about the risk of a powerful earthquake in Istanbul.

“We have met with Ekrem İmamoğlu (the Mayor of Istanbul) and district leaders, and we have reached a principal agreement regarding the earthquake issue in Istanbul. We will begin working next week,” said Ozhasekin.

According to him, there are 5.8 million buildings in Istanbul, of which 1.5 million are in risk zones, and 600,000 are in high-risk zones. The minister did not provide details on the preparations for the earthquake.

On July 12, Turkish seismologist Naci Görür predicted tremors of 7.2-7.6 magnitude in the Sea of Marmara, where the 17 million population city is located.