Turkey Preparing for Possible Earthquake in Istanbul

Turkish government is actively preparing for a possible strong earthquake in Istanbul, the country’s largest city and economic hub, says Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

“We expect a [magnitude] 7.5 earthquake in the heart of Turkey, Istanbul. The government is seriously working on the possible scenario and handling of the earthquake,” Soylu told CNN Turk, two days after a deadly magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Turkey’s southeastern provinces of Elazig and Malatya.

The death toll from the powerful tremor that hit eastern Turkey rose to 41. Suleyman Soylu says emergency workers are still searching for 30 people trapped under the rubble.

Turkey is among the world’s most seismically active countries as it is situated on a number of active fault lines. In the last big earthquake in October 2011, more than 600 people died in the eastern province of Van after a 7.2 magnitude quake. About 17,000 people died in a pair of strong earthquakes that struck northwest Turkey in 1999.