Construction shortcuts and deficient buildings main cause of casualties in Türkiye-Syria earthquakes

Turkey earthquake damage Flaws in planning, design and construction processes that ignored established best practices were the root causes of most injuries and deaths in last year's Türkiye-Syria earthquakes, according to a new report by an international team, led by UCL and the University of Cambridge. The independent report, based on investigations and analyses by the Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT), is published by the Institution of Structural Engineers. The authors concluded that a drive for profit led the construction industry to take shortcuts, leading to buildings primarily made of non-compliant reinforced concrete, which became the main cause of casualties. On 6 February 2023, a large area in southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria was hit by two earthquakes of 7.8 and 7. Mw (moment magnitude). An estimated 50,000 people lost their lives, and approximately 100,000 more were injured. Damage costs have been estimated to be $84.1 billion for Türkiye alone.