Turkey’s leading seismologist Işıkara dies

ISTANBUL

Hürriyet photo

Professor Ahmet Mete Işıkara, Turkey’s leading seismologist and the former head of Kandilli Observatory, passed away today at the age of 72.

Işıkara, who has been suffering from respiratory problems, was taken into intensive care in November last year, and was released from hospital after a week.

Işıkara, known popularly as “Grandpa Quake,” became a popular public figure after the 1999 Marmara earthquake, when he was head of the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute in Istanbul.

For many, Işıkara was the first person that came to mind in the area of raising awareness on learning to live with the reality of quakes. He was famous for his quote: “Quakes don’t kill, buildings do.”

Işıkara was last serving as the head consultant of the Turkish Red Crescent.