Building that collapsed in İzmir quake reported 'unsound' a decade ago
An eight-story building that collapsed in the Oct. 30 earthquake of Aegean İzmir was reported to be structurally unsound a decade ago, daily Hürriyet reported. The expert report said that cracks on the walls above the first floor needed to be examined closely as some of them reached for the structure's beams.
Duvar English
An apartment building that collapsed during the Oct. 30 earthquake in the Aegean province of İzmir had been reported to be structurally unsound a decade ago, daily Hürriyet reported on Nov. 3.
Karagül Apartment Building was examined on Sept. 21, 2010, when experts said that cracks on the walls above the first floor needed to be examined closely as some of them reached for the structure's beams.
"The large number of stories, heavy extensions, the outdated technology used in the construction of the foundation and the weak soil structure in the area are among the factors that increase the risk of damage to the building in an earthquake," the report said.
The eight-story Karagül building collapsed some five minutes after all residents were able to evacuate the building.
The district municipality of Bayraklı reported a mere five percent of the buildings in the area as structurally sound in 2009, while a shocking 57 percent were reported to be high risk.