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Turkey extends over a seismically active region, and therefore has long relationship with large magnitude earthquakes. In 1999, a Mw 7.6 earthquake event in the country led to significant changes in national building practice, to improve earthquake resistant design. The national seismic hazard map, which forms the basis of building design, shows a high expected-level of ground motion in the earthquake-struck KahramanmaraÅŸ region. Whilst the events on February 6th would have pushed the limits of a seismically-designed building, the observed damage severity raises concerns over building quality, compliance with building codes, and preparedness planning. Meanwhile, years of conflict in Syria has severely hampered the natural hazard resilience of affected regions, leaving people vulnerable to such high-magnitude earthquake events. The current political situation also poses a significant challenge to emergency relief, as well as post-disaster recovery efforts.

Professor Dina D'Ayala, Professor Tiziana Rossetto, and Dr Yasemin Didem Aktas from EPICentre have been interviewed on the disaster by news organisations, including: Al Jazeera, Anadolu Agency (AA),Ìýthe BBC, Channel 4, CNN International, Deutsche Welle (DW), Financial Times, NTV (Turkey), RTL Nieuws, Sky News, and TRT World. Available links are provided below, and further updates will follow.