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24 May 2011 [18:06] - Today.Az


A Turkish official said Tuesday that 280 buildings in a region hit by a 5.9-magnitude earthquake last week must be evacuated immediately, local media reported.

Damage assessment in the western province of Kutahya showed that 112 buildings in the region were demolished by the quake and 2,437 buildings were uninhabitable, the Anatolia news agency quoted Kutahhya Governor Kenan Ciftci as saying, Xinhua reported.

The damage could worsen as aftershocks were continuing, said Ciftci.

The government will soon start the construction of 196 prefabricated huts to accommodate homeless people as of June 2, he said.

An 80-member team has inspected around 16,500 buildings in the town of Simav, the epicenter of the earthquake that struck at 11: 15 p.m. (2015 GMT) on May 19, and nearby areas.

Two people were killed during the quake and 79 others were injured. Tremors were felt in surrounding provinces of Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa and Edirne.

Bad construction was to blame for the collapse of some buildings in the area, State Minister Cemil Cicek told a press conference last week.

Local authorities and the Red Crescent have set up tents and kitchens in the quake-hit area.

Turkey is an earthquake-prone country with several geological fault lines. More than 1,000 people were killed at an earthquake in Kutahya province in 1970.

In 1999, two strong earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7 hit northwestern Turkey, leaving some 20,000 dead.


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