Some 1,556 buildings were detected at risk of collapse by the quick scanning tests of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). A press release made by the IBB stated that rapid scanning tests were conducted for free by the government for the buildings to determine the building stock in the city.

It is stated that analyses were made and their results were shared with the residents: "160,000 requests were submitted to do IBB’s rapid scan test. The responsible team conducted 35,000 analyses. The analyzed buildings were classified as A and B (low risk), C (medium risk), D (high risk) and E (very high risk) according to their durability. In the building inspection results, 50% of the buildings were analyzed as D and E, meaning risky buildings."

A statement based on the test results said: "According to analysis results, 1,556 buildings weren’t even in the category of A, B, C, D and E. Some 178 out of the 1,556 buildings that could not support even their own weight were demolished. Also, official action was taken in 96 buildings. For 1,443 buildings, property owners and district municipalities were informed."

The statement pointed out that 2,907 independent units will be demolished, adding: "The evacuation process of more than 10,000 people from risky buildings will be done. The IBB provides monthly rent support of TL 7,000 ($215) to both the property owners and tenants of these buildings with the decision of the IBB council."

IBB Deputy Secretary General Gürkan Akgün, whose views were included in the statement, noted that around 200,000 buildings face the risk of becoming unusable in a possible earthquake.

Istanbul experienced two building collapses within the span of a week. On Sunday morning around 8:40 a.m., a three-story building housing a ground-floor store in the Kartaltepe neighborhood of Küçükçekmece suddenly collapsed. The incident resulted in one fatality and several injuries. Then on Tuesday around 3 a.m., a partial collapse occurred on the balcony of a four-story residential building located on Hilal Street in the Zafer neighborhood, in Bahçelievler. These incidents highlight the vulnerability of some buildings in the city and the concerns over the potential for further collapses.

In this regard, Mehmet Fatih Altan, the head of the Civil Engineering Department at Istanbul Arel University, remarked on the situation, highlighting that these buildings are susceptible to collapse even in the absence of an earthquake.

Using the collapse as an example, Altan explained: "The governor also said that this building was built in 1988. It is a building that was not built in accordance with three earthquake regulations in 1998, 2007 and 2018. Look, three earthquake regulations have been passed. I wonder if this building was checked for its durability and compliance according to them? We check them according to the 2018 earthquake regulation, we take core samples. I wonder if that exists in this building."

"When their projects are examined, it should be checked whether an additional floor was added illegally or not. We always want people to live in buildings only after taking all precautions by getting engineering services and having them checked. Especially we need to check the structures built before 2000 one by one. If rotten, we need to demolish them, and if sound, we need to certify them with a plaque. Because very few pass. Many building samples come to our laboratories too, and we examine them. A large number of around 95% of the buildings turn out to be earthquake-resistant, " he added.

He also mentioned: "What does this mean? We have buildings that can collapse even without an earthquake. We experience two or three such incidents almost every year in Istanbul. We estimate that there are 2,000-3,000 such buildings in Istanbul. These are like time bombs whose explosion time is unknown, but when the time comes, they cause such disasters."

For years, there was a fear that buildings in Istanbul could collapse. In 2022, according to investigations, projections showed that out of about 1.2 million buildings in the city with a population of over 15.8 million people, 491,000 buildings would be damaged in a potentially severe earthquake. The projections also indicated that more than 13,000 of those buildings would sustain the heaviest damage and probably collapse, while another 39,000 buildings would suffer heavy damage.

The city last experienced a major earthquake in 2019, when a 5.8 magnitude tremor shook its European side. Casualties were limited to one while several buildings suffered from minor damages. But it was a stark reminder of a 1999 earthquake that killed hundreds in the city’s Avcılar district.