[Regnum] Turkey may experience a larger earthquake in the future than the one recorded in Istanbul on April 23. This was warned by Turkish seismologist Ahmet Ercan.
“Wednesday’s earthquake is a warning about an earthquake of magnitude 7–7.2 expected in the Thrace region, or a kind of training session before it,” RIA Novosti quoted the expert as saying.
According to him, a seismic event is expected between 2045 and 2075. The focus of the new earthquake will be located in the same place, at a depth of seven to 13 km, and the tremors will be 22 times more powerful, Ercan added.
The seismologist reassured citizens living in houses built after 1999. He replied that they should worry less, since stricter regulations for building houses were adopted that year.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the earthquake in western Turkey began at about 12:50 Moscow time on April 23 and lasted for about 10-15 seconds, followed by aftershocks. The tremors, felt in several provinces, caused panic in Istanbul. The source was located at a depth of almost 7 km underground.
The country's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the magnitude of the earthquake and also said that Turkish authorities have begun assessing the damage from the incident.
The first seismic event was followed by another, weaker one. The magnitude of the second earthquake was about 3.9–4.2. It was recorded in the Silivri area of Istanbul.
According to the Istanbul Governor's Office, 151 people were injured in the earthquake, but there were no casualties as a result of the tremors.
The press services of Istanbul airports reported that flights are operating as usual after the earthquake. The Turkish Ministry of Transport stated that the transport infrastructure was not damaged by the seismic event. No damage or adverse effects were found on highways, airports, trains or the subway.
Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has called on the country's institutions and citizens to be prepared for another earthquake that is already "on the doorstep."