Past calamity should serve as a lesson, experts say

GAZIANTEP, Turkiye — The earthquakes that struck southeastern Turkiye and northern Syria last week and caused massive human losses and damage should serve as a wake-up call for earthquake preparedness, experts say.

More than 12,000 buildings have either collapsed or sustained serious damage in the quakes, Turkiye's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Murat Kurum said on Friday.

As Turkiye sits on active fault lines, scientists have regularly issued warnings for citizens and the government to be prepared for an earthquake, especially since the last major one in 1999. It hit the Marmara region and killed more than 17,000.