Shafaq News – Ankara
Tens of thousands of buildings in Istanbul could collapse without warning, Turkish media reported on Wednesday, describing the situation as “critical.”
Turkiye Today reported that around 600,000 buildings across the city show varying levels of structural decay. Of these, roughly 50,000—spread across all 39 districts—pose an immediate threat to residents.
The alarm followed a deadly incident in Gebze, Kocaeli province, east of Istanbul, where a residential building suddenly collapsed, killing nearly an entire family.
Turkiye lies on one of the world’s most active seismic fault lines, including the North Anatolian Fault. In February 2023, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country, killing more than 53,000 people and injured over 100,000 others in the country’s southeastern region.
Specialists urged authorities to act swiftly by evacuating, demolishing, or reinforcing older structures, especially those built before the 1999 Marmara earthquake, which exposed deep flaws in Turkiye’s construction standards.