Opinion

Turkey’s earthquake death toll might be more than just a natural disaster

In 1999, I was visiting Istanbul when the city was struck by a massive earthquake. I’ll never forget what it was like — the deep roaring from beneath the ground with angry gyrations that led to devastation above.

More than 17,000 people died; another 40,000 were injured. This was a horrible natural tragedy. Yet it soon became apparent that human error also played a major role in the death toll. Even though Turkey stands astride a well-known seismic zone, few buildings had been designed to take earthquakes into account.