'Istanbul earthquake to hit in 25 years, take more lives than İzmir quake'
The long-awaited Istanbul earthquake will occur in 25 years, geophysics engineer Prof. Övgün Ahmet Ercan said. Projected to be a magnitude 6.5 to 6.7, the earthquake will take more lives than the Oct. 30 quake that hit the Aegean province of İzmir.
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The devastating earthquake that's ever-feared to hit Istanbul will occur between 2045 and 2050, geophysics engineer Prof. Övgün Ahmet Ercan said, daily Milliyet reported on Nov. 6.
"We're expecting the earthquake in 25 years, but we have to use this time efficiently for urban transformation. We have to build durable buildings on solid ground," Ercan said.
The magnitude of the earthquake is expected to be around 6.5 and 6.7, close to the measurements for the Oct. 30 quake that hit the Aegean province of İzmir and killed more than 110 people.
"This will be more destructive and fatal than İzmir, because there are 1,750 people per square-meter in İzmir but 2,586 in Istanbul," the professor added.
Predicted to be on the fault line south of Istanbul, the earthquake will hit the suburban areas along the southern coast of the Anatolian side including Küçükçekmece, Avcılar and Zeytinburnu, Ercan noted.
"Some 70 percent of the destruction will be on the European side and 30 percent on the Anatolian side," Ercan added.