50,000 Istanbul buildings at high risk of collapse

Recent reports from Turkish media have raised serious concerns about the structural safety of buildings in Istanbul. According to sources, more than 600,000 buildings across the city are showing signs of deterioration. Out of these, approximately 50,000 structures, located in all 39 districts, are believed to be at high risk of collapsing. Experts have described the situation as critical.

This warning followed a tragic incident in Gebze, located in Kocaeli province just east of Istanbul, where a residential building collapsed. The accident caused the lives of nearly an entire family and hence it intensified fears about the stability of older buildings in the region. The event has drawn nationwide attention to the dangerous conditions of many structures.

Furthermore, Turkey is situated along some of the world’s most active earthquake fault lines, including the North Anatolian Fault. In February 2023, the country experienced a catastrophic 7.8-magnitude earthquake that resulted in over 53,000 deaths and left more than 100,000 people injured in the southeastern region. Memories of that disaster remain fresh, heightening worries about how Istanbul would withstand a similar quake.

Experts urged authorities to take immediate action to prevent future tragedies. They recommend that unsafe buildings, particularly those constructed before the 1999 Marmara earthquake, should be evacuated, reinforced, or demolished. The latter earthquake exposed serious weaknesses in construction practices, and experts warned that without swift intervention, countless lives could be at risk.