Revisiting Turkey's Izmit earthquake: 19 years on

Extensive damage including the collapse of the Trans-European Motorway and a fire at the Tupras Oil Refinery occurred as a result of the tremendous shock waves.

Northwestern Turkey saw one of the most devastating earthquakes in the world on the same date as today in 1999. Called the Izmit earthquake, and also known as the Kocaeli earthquake, it destroyed urban centers, oil refineries, automotive plants, headquarters of the Turkish navy and killed 17,000 people. Around 50,000 were homeless and the casualties increased due to post-quake-damage injuries.

The epicenter of the quake was 11 kilometers southeast of the city of Izmit which was left severely damaged. The moment magnitude recorded was 7.4. The tectonic shock occurred along the northernmost place of the North Anatolian fault system at 3 am in the morning. The timing further added to the misery as the whole nation was fast asleep when the tremors began.

The casualties were very high in the areas of Darince, Darica, Golcuk, and Sakarya. The area of Avcilar in Istanbul shared destruction along with the other Turkish districts.

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Extensive damage including the collapse of the Trans-European Motorway and a fire at the Tupras Oil Refinery occurred as a result of the tremendous shock waves.

A 2.5-meter high Tsunami was generated in the Sea of Marmara which additionally killed about 155 people.

The Turkish Red Crescent and the Turkish Army, along with an extended help from about 12 nations, came for the rescue operations and relief aids. Poor construction was blamed for the massive collapse of houses which resulted in the deaths of the maximum number of people.