Earthquake at Gölcük, on the coast of the Sea of Marmara, Turkey
The earthquake that struck the region of Izmit on August 17, 1999, at 3:02 a.m., registered 7.4 on the Richter scale (9 is the maximum). Its epicentre was at Gölcük, an industrial city with a population of 65,000. The quake had an official death toll of at least 15,500 people, many buried in rubble while they slept. The partial or total collapse of 50,000 buildings led to outrage against building contractors, who were accused of disregarding earthquake-proof construction codes. Regions bordering tectonic plates, such as the trans-Asian zone running from the Azores to Indonesia by way of Turkey, Armenia, and Iran, are particularly exposed to seismic risk. Although they are rarer than storms and floods, earthquakes claimed 169,000 victims throughout the world between 1985 and 2000. Awareness on building materials and standards is essential to maintain pressure on private sector and political leaders to combat corrupt practices that allow construction without adequate surveying.