Parliamentary report highlights tsunami risk in Marmara Sea

ISTANBUL

A report presented to parliament called for attention to the threat of tsunamis in the Marmara Sea in the event of a possible major earthquake expected in Turkey’s northwestern region.

Drafted by a parliamentary subcommittee investigating earthquake risks, the report underlined that Turkey is susceptible to tsunamis due to the high seismic activity under the sea.

It also noted that it would take 10 minutes for towering tsunami waves to reach the shores in the event of the earthquake.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7 or higher in the Marmara region has a 10 percent chance of causing a tsunami, the report noted.

The report stressed that the Mediterranean, Aegean and Marmara coasts are particularly susceptible due to the teeming settlements on the shores.

“All relevant agencies, primarily the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency [AFAD], should draft emergency evacuation and action plans for coastal settlements after determining dangers and risks and susceptibility to the damage,” the report warned.

Turkey is among the world’s most seismically active countries as it is situated on several active fault lines and dozens of minor earthquakes and aftershocks occur daily.

More than 17,000 people were killed in August 1999 when a 7.4-magnitude quake struck the western city of İzmit, 90 kilometers southeast of Istanbul.