Outdated Building Methods Contributed to Devastation of Quakes in Turkey and Syria

Outdated Building Methods Contributed to Devastation of Quakes in Turkey and Syria

Outdated Building Methods, Contributed to Devastation of Quakes , in Turkey and Syria.

NPR reports that thousands of buildings were reduced to rubble when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and northern Syria on February 6.

NPR reports that thousands of buildings were reduced to rubble when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and northern Syria on February 6.

According to civil engineer Jonathan Stewart, the widespread devastation is similar to another major quake that struck Turkey in 1999.

According to civil engineer Jonathan Stewart, the widespread devastation is similar to another major quake that struck Turkey in 1999.

Stewart, an engineering professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, was part of an infrastructure inspection team dispatched to Turkey at the time.

Stewart, an engineering professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, was part of an infrastructure inspection team dispatched to Turkey at the time.

According to Stewart, the 1999 disaster resulted in "tremendous loss of life from pancaked buildings.".

That earthquake left over 17,000 people dead, many who died in collapsing buildings as they fled for their lives.

"Pancaking" is the sudden collapse of a multi-story building, which was seen again when the February 6 quake and a follow-up 7.5 magnitude tremor struck.

Typically, the columns and the beams are concrete.

And then there's kind of a masonry infill block inside these frames, which falls apart very quickly when the shaking begins, Jonathan Stewart, Civil engineer and engineering professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, via NPR.

Currently, the death toll has already exceeded 3,400 in Turkey, with over 1,500 dead in neighboring Syria.

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Currently, the death toll has already exceeded 3,400 in Turkey, with over 1,500 dead in neighboring Syria.

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NPR reports that survivors may still be found beneath the rubble as search and rescue efforts continue, though the death toll is also expected to rise.

NPR reports that survivors may still be found beneath the rubble as search and rescue efforts continue, though the death toll is also expected to rise.

According to a preliminary estimate by Turkish officials, approximately 3,000 buildings were destroyed by the February 6 quakes.

According to a preliminary estimate by Turkish officials, approximately 3,000 buildings were destroyed by the February 6 quakes