The Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) Aydın Chairman Recep Çoşkun said on Monday that authorities and residents of the province should be prepared for an earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale.
Speaking at a search and rescue drill, Çoşkun said the timeline of the earthquake could not be estimated but there was no way one could avoid the conclusion that a huge tremor would shake the province at one point in the future. The drill included establishing security around a collapsed building, emergency rescue efforts, transportation of the injured to hospitals and precautions taken against fires.
Çoşkun said Aydın, which has a population over 1 million and includes two of Turkey's preeminent tourism centers, Kuşadası and Didim, on the Aegean coast, was within a first-level earthquake zone. "If one looks at the historical earthquake record, one can see that there were earthquakes measuring up to 9 on the Richter scale in the region. In 1955, there was a magnitude 7 earthquake near Didim. We need to be ready for a possible huge earthquake," he said.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.