After examining 1,418 schools in the city, dating back to before the 1999 Marmara earthquake, 67 were found to be earthquake-resistant, while 1,351 were classified as “unsafe”, according to a press release from the Istanbul prefecture. And to note that some of them have been rebuilt or reinforced, while 93 schools remain classified as “dangerous”, stressing that it was decided to demolish and rebuild 76 of these 93 schools.
Indeed, the students of these schools will be transferred, from tomorrow, to establishments more resistant to earthquakes and this, in coordination with the authorities concerned, notes the same source.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Friday announced the launch of a campaign to demolish and renovate old buildings dating from 1999 or earlier as a precaution against any future earthquake.
In 1999, Istanbul was strongly affected by the earthquake in the Marmara region, where more than 17,000 people lost their lives in total, including a thousand in Istanbul.