Kandilli Observatory on watch for 10 years

ISTANBUL - Demirören News Agency

The units of Istanbul’s Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute have been making observations to detect a possible earthquake and measure the risk of a tsunami in and around Türkiye since 2012.

“We work with a team of 25 people at the center,” said Haluk Özener, a professor and the head of the institute.

The professor said that the base operates 24/7 and eight of the experts are staying on the campus of Boğaziçi University, where the institute is located, adding that when a big earthquake occurs, all of them come to the center and intervene immediately.

Depending on the magnitude and location of the earthquake, a warning message or an observation message is given to certain regions, Özener said.

When the magnitude of the quake is over 5.5, a warning is sent to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) within seven minutes, according to Özener.

“We have sent 38 warning messages for tsunami in the last 10 years, first to AFAD and then to 13 different countries in the region,” he added.