STORY: Erdogan warns 66 pct of Turkish territory at risk of quake
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 23, 2023, File
DATELINE: Dec. 24, 2023
LENGTH: 00:00:29
LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at urban transformation promotion meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye
2. SOUNDBITE (Turkish): RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Turkish President
3. Istanbul

STORYLINE:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Saturday that 66 percent of the country's territory and 71 percent of its population were exposed to earthquake risk.
   
SOUNDBITE (Turkish): RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Turkish President 
"Preparing for earthquakes is more of a necessity than a choice for us. Because geographically, we are a country that lives face to face with earthquakes."
   
Located on active fault lines, Türkiye is prone to earthquakes. In February, more than 50,000 people died when strong tremors hit the southern part of the country.
   
"If we are to continue living on this land, we cannot forget the earthquake risk," Erdogan said, recalling the strong quakes the country and its people experienced, including the one in 1999 that shook western Türkiye near Istanbul and left at least 17,000 people dead.
   
Erdogan said Türkiye's primary task would be urban transformation projects, especially in Istanbul, to resist earthquakes.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Istanbul, Türkiye.
(XHTV)