Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has ordered to carry out work to strengthen the seismic resistance of buildings in Istanbul as soon as possible. He made a corresponding statement at a meeting of the cabinet of ministers, during which the city's preparation for strong earthquakes was discussed.
"Our duty is to prepare the city for an earthquake as soon as possible, before the elements knock on our doors",
Erdoğan said.
The Turkish president emphasized that all participants in the process must join forces and implement measures together in order to achieve this goal.
He recalled that the recent 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Istanbul, fortunately did not result in casualties. However, Erdoğan noted, questions had arisen regarding the preparation of the city with a population of 16 million for new tremors.
The president specified that 236 people sustained minor injuries in the earthquake, mainly due to panic. In addition, the tremors caused minor damage to 1,903 houses.
The Turkish leader called for avoiding political disputes when preparing for natural disasters, especially earthquakes.
