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An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 might rock the Aegean city of İzmir, a recent study has revealed, adding that should the quake occur at 5:00 p.m. some 180,000 buildings could be damaged and an estimated 74,000 people could suffer injuries.
The study was carried out by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Boğaziçi University's Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute and the İzmir Chamber of Civil Engineers.
But although some experts maintain that the Aegean region faces no risk of a devastating quake, earthquakes have played an important role in the city and many have shook the region throughout its history.
İzmir belongs to the first-degree hazard zone in the official Earthquake Hazard Regionalization Map of Turkey and the area covering İzmir is one of the most seismically active parts of the Aegean.
As well as the recent earthquakes of smaller magnitudes, the city, known in ancient times as Smyrna, was once destroyed by an earthquake in 178 AD. It is therefore necessary that immediate precautions are taken and management plans are made.
There are several fault lines in İzmir and the whole city is included in the risk zone but experts say that Mithatpaşa on the sea side, Karşıyaka shore, Bostanlı, Mavişehir, Bornova, Ege University Campus, Alsancak, Halkapınar and Yeşilyurt are located within the first degree risk zone. They also point out the most dangerous areas are where the shantytowns are located.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=95359
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