Marmara town to demolish 24 schools due to quake risk

The Governor's Office in the Marmara town of Bursa will demolish 24 school buildings after inspectors determined that they would be risky in the event of an earthquake. Students from 15 of the schools will be transferred to the closest school in their district.

Duvar English

The Governor's Office in the Marmara province of Bursa has said that they will be demolishing 24 school buildings that the Education Ministry's Construction and Estate Directorate that the ministry deemed risky following inspection.

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake in the Marmara Sea was felt in Bursa on Sept. 26, 2019.

"We have taken a decision to demolish buildings that the report results showed as risky in a potential quake," said the ministry's statement.

The report noted that students of nine of the schools will be moved to safe buildings on the property and that students of the remaining 15 schools will be transferred to the closest schools in their district.

The statement also noted that efforts are underway to assure a smooth start to the second school semester.

Schools will be torn down in the Gemlik province, Karacabay province, Ketsel province, Mudanya province, Mustafakemalpaşa province, Nilüfer province, Orhangazi province, Osmangazi province, Yenişehir province and Yıldırım province.

Istanbul schools torn down last fall

The Istanbul Governor's Office ordered eight schools demolished following the Sept. 26, 2019 quake of magnitude 5.8 in the Marmara Sea off the coast of Silivri near Istanbul.

The quake was felt in Istanbul, stirring debate about earthquake readiness in the metropolitan of almost 20 million people.