Village to be relocated due to sinkhole fears

Residents of İnandık in central Turkey will be resettled elsewhere, after five sinkholes emerged near the village.

Fifteen-meter-deep sinkholes were recently sighted in areas near the village located in Çankırı, a central Turkish town north of the capital Ankara.

A geological probe was carried out after the detection of the sinkholes, which were linked to tremors in the area that occurred earlier this year. Mysterious tremors caused collapses and cracks in the walls of the houses in the village. The villagers will be resettled on empty land some 2 kilometers away from the village's location.

Hasan Sait Korkutata, head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Çankırı, said the sinkholes were as large as 1,366 square meters. He said 65 homes in the village would be resettled.

Village headman Salih Karaca said the tremors first started in January. "We thought they were minor earthquakes, but then we found out it happened only in our village. We applied to AFAD, and they told us the village was at risk," he said.

Sinkholes are common in central Turkey. Nine sinkholes, as deep as 70 meters, were reported in a town in the province of Konya between March and June. Overall, 200 sinkholes have been sighted in the region this year. Experts link them to downpours in the region, which is normally known for its arid climate.