ISTANBUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- About 600,000 buildings in Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city, were at risk and could collapse in a possible earthquake, Türkiye's Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Mehmet Ozhaseki said on Tuesday.
Ozhaseki told the private NTV broadcaster in a televised interview that of the 6 million houses in the city, "600,000 are very risky and could be destroyed in the first place."
Ozhaseki said the government was working to create "reserve spaces" within the urban transformation plan, which includes building quake-resistant solid houses.
"We are working to build more than 300,000 houses in Istanbul's reserved areas, but finding such areas with solid ground around the city center is difficult," he noted.
Located on active fault lines, Türkiye is prone to earthquakes. In February, more than 50,000 people died when strong tremors hit the southern part of the country.
Following this disaster, Istanbul has launched a program to provide rapid scans of buildings as many residents worry about the safety of their residences.
In another powerful earthquake that hit northwestern Türkiye in 1999, 17,000 people were killed, and about 1,000 were in Istanbul. ■
