Poor Construction Cited In Earthquake Fatalities

"In last year's earthquake in northwestern Turkey, which killed more than 18,000, residents in newer concrete buildings died at a far higher rate than did those in traditional timber structures, a report said.The earthquake provided the first hard evidence that millions of people in many of the world's most populous cities are at risk from earthquakes because of widespread use of reinforced concrete and substandard building practices, experts said. From Istanbul and Cairo to Mexico City and Manila, the inability of cheaply constructed concrete buildings to withstand quakes could lead to immense death tolls, they said."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan