Twenty one years have passed since the Marmara Earthquake of 1999, which led to thousands of deaths.

Commemorations have taken place in Istanbul, the provinces of Kocaeli and Sakarya and cities acrossTurkey.

The Marmara Earthquake’s epicentre was located in Gölcük district of Kocaeli city. Huge destruction was experienced in Kocaeli, Sakarya, İstanbul, Düzce and around Yalova.

The 17 August 1999 earthquake measured 7.5 on the Richter scale, and led to the massive destruction of properties and losses in life.

Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality held a commemoration in Adapazarı Democracy Square.

Ekrem Yüce, the mayor of municipality, stated that he was mayor of Erenler Municipality and his house also collapsed during the earthquake. He added:

“We were subjected to this huge disaster 21 years ago. We lost thousands of people in our region. I also lost my house and had to be freed from the wreckage”.

Commemoration events also took place in Gölcük, Kocaeli. The Avcilar Municipality and the Avcilar City Council also organized a commemoration ceremony at the earthquake monument in the Marmara Street. After the speeches, cloves were placed on the street.

A new earthquake is predicted

According to various sources, 17,480 people lost their lives in the Marmara Earthquake in 1999. Scientists are warning the government about the possibilities of a future earthquake, but it is not yet clear whether the Turkish government is taking adequate precautions in light of these assessments.