Turkish Environment and Urbanisation Minister Murat Kurum said on Sunday that 342 buildings should be demolished urgently in the western province of Izmir after more than 100 people died in an earthquake in the city, Diken news website reported.
Kurum said during a press conference in Izmir that the ministry assessed 342 buildings as high-risk after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake rocked the region on Oct. 30. Some 3,660 buildings were slightly damaged and 383 were damaged moderately, he said.
The new buildings to replace the collapsed ones and those to be torn down will only be allowed to have six floors, the minister said.
The death toll in the earthquake rose to 115 on Sunday as rescue workers in Izmir finished searching buildings that collapsed in the quake, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).
Of the 1,034 people injured in the quake, 23 remained hospitalised, AFAD said.
Source : ahvalnews.com
