The Marmara region of Turkey is expecting an earthquake of magnitude 7.9; human casualties could be 2-3 more than during the February tragedy in the southeast of the country, Japanese expert Yoshinori Moriwaki said.
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Powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 occurred on February 6 with an interval of nine hours in the Kahramanmaraş province in southeastern Turkey. Tremors were then felt in 11 provinces of the country and neighboring states, including Syria. Turkish authorities called the earthquakes “the disaster of the century.” The death toll from the earthquakes on February 6 in southeastern Turkey reached 50.5 thousand people.
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“Japanese earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki, who participated in a seminar organized in Adiyaman, said that the Marmara region is expecting a very serious earthquake, which could have a magnitude of 7.9 or higher. Moriwaki said: “If the soil is bad, then after 2000 it is necessary see whether there is a permit for the construction of the building or not. Unfortunately, there are many unauthorized buildings in Turkey,” TV100 quoted him as saying.
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The expert considers possible earthquakes in Bingol, Karlovo, Bitlis, Mus, Marmara and Izmir.
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“In any case, Turkey and Japan are the same thing, earthquakes can happen anywhere. Earthquakes can continue. We must always be prepared for this,” the expert said.
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Moriwaki added that he does not believe that the earthquakes that occurred on February 6 will be repeated in southeast Turkey.
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“I don’t think there will be an earthquake in the region where the February 6 earthquake occurred, except for aftershocks. In the Marmara Sea area there could be 2-3 times more casualties than in the February 6 earthquake. It could become very, very strong, because there are more people there. Unfortunately, a very strong earthquake awaits Marmara,” the expert emphasized.
