The big one?
Seismic risk in Istanbul
Audio 02:34
An aerial view of Istanbul.
© Adem Altan / AFP
By: Anne Andlauer
4 min
It is an inevitable risk, geologists are unanimous: Istanbul, the country's economic capital, will undergo a major earthquake over the next few decades.
And everyone including the authorities agree that this megalopolis of 15 million inhabitants is very far from being ready to withstand shocks.
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According to a municipal report, out of 1.2 million buildings in Istanbul, at least 48,000 would suffer heavy damage in the event of a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.
Several thousand would collapse on their occupants.
The opposition mayor, elected two years ago, has made this problem a top priority.
But the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not make it easy for him.
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Turkey
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