Experts announced the balance sheet of 'possible Istanbul earthquake'

For more than six weeks, Türkiye has been trying to erase the traces of two devastating 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes in the southeast of the country. Two earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş destroyed 11 cities, nearly 50 thousand people lost their lives under the rubble of collapsed buildings. While the state and the nation are working together to heal the wounds in the region, aid from all over the world continues.

Many countries, from Israel to South Korea, from Greece to Brazil, extended a helping hand to Türkiye. While the teams that came to the region supported the search and rescue efforts in the first days, the aid that came later was aimed at meeting the daily needs of the earthquake victims. During this period, the world has turned its eyes not only to the earthquake zone but also to Istanbul.

While many newspapers and televisions shared the latest situation in the cities affected by the earthquake with their readers, they also made headlines about Istanbul and a possible earthquake that may occur here.

CNN INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSES ISTANBUL

US-based CNN International, which discussed whether the megacity is ready for an earthquake, appeared before its readers with the title "An incredible earthquake is approaching in Istanbul" and shared its analysis. "But further away, in Türkiye's largest and most populous city, pressure is mounting on the authorities to prepare for the possibility of another natural disaster of unimaginable proportions," the report said.

One of Türkiye's leading earth scientists, Professor Dr. Celal Sengor, which included the evaluations, stated that the densely populated city, which was once the capital of both the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire, was home to approximately 16 million people.

'IF THERE IS NO EARTHQUAKE IN ISTANBUL, WE ALL WOULD BE SURPRISED'

Speaking to CNN, Professor Dr. Sengor said, "The outlook for Istanbul is not very bright," and continued as follows: "We would all be very surprised if there is no major earthquake in Istanbul in the next twenty years. Here it is. It's that close. It's just a possibility, but a high probability."

In the news, it was underlined that Istanbul is located around two important fault lines -North Anatolia and East Anatolia- and "Türkiye is located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world. This is a geological reality that raises concerns about Istanbul's earthquake readiness," statements were included.

Noting that the expected magnitude of the earthquake in the region was between 7.2 and 7.8, CNN stated that experts predicted that an earthquake of this magnitude could have devastating consequences for Türkiye's commercial and industrial center. prof. Dr. Sengor said, "We can predict that there will be an earthquake of this magnitude soon, but this is the best we can do. There is no way to predict it."

'100 THOUSAND PEOPLE CAN DIE'

The news that focused on the possible loss of life included the following statements: "A study by the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute estimates that the death toll in the 7.5-magnitude earthquake that may occur in Istanbul at night will exceed 14 thousand. However, some experts say the number is much higher."

CNN, who wrote that Sengor stated that 100 thousand deaths could occur, included the following words of the expert in the news: "You can not only think about the direct effect of the earthquake, but also think about what will come after the earthquake. There will be looting, fires, epidemics."

'4.5 MILLION PEOPLE CAN STAY HOMELESS'

Noting that the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality announced to its readers that in the event of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5, approximately 90 thousand buildings in the city could collapse and there is a possibility of serious damage to 260 thousand buildings, CNN said, "According to the city officials, this is about a quarter of the population of Istanbul. It's a serious estimate that could leave 4.5 million people homeless."

CNN included the following statements in its analysis: "Now, after more than 49,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake that struck Türkiye last month, Istanbul is racing to strengthen its defenses against a natural disaster that experts say could start at any time."

BBC SAID 'IT CAN KILL 90 THOUSAND PEOPLE'

The BBC, which published a similar report recently, pointed out that most of the buildings in the city were built before 1999 and made the following assessment: "Just three months ago, a study said that an earthquake here could kill 90,000 people. Now, the race has begun to prepare the city. "