Reports says Turkey ill-prepared for the next big earthquake _ Istanbul at great risk

Reports says Turkey ill-prepared for earthquake

ANKARA, Turkey — A new report says Turkey has failed to enforce stricter building codes put in place after the deaths of over 18,000 people in the western part of the country in 1999.

The parliamentary report obtained by The Associated Press says the failure to enforce tighter standards has left Istanbul particularly vulnerable to a quake.

Since 1999 geologists have strongly urged the Turkish government to tear down some 40,000 buildings that would probably collapse if a big quake hits Istanbul. They say hundreds of thousands of other unstable buildings need to be reinforced.