PM Barzani attends workshop on earthquake protection in Kurdistan Region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday morning attended a workshop designed to discuss ways to protect the Kurdish region from earthquakes, according to a statement.

The workshop comes as a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked both neighboring Turkey and Syria two weeks ago, leaving thousands homeless and killing more than 45,000 people in the affected communities. Thousands of aftershocks have occurred since then, including a strong 6.4-magnitude last night. 

An assessment of current building codes with regard to earthquake resistance as well as recommendations to strengthen structures will be highlighted during the workshop, according to a statement from Barzani’s office.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction and the Kurdistan Chapter of the American Concrete Institute, ACI, are hosting the engineering event.

“It will also focus on setting new recommendations, road maps, and building codes to undertake future projects,” the statement added.

While the Kurdistan Region does not sit on major fault lines, like neighboring Turkey, the regional tremors are often felt across its provinces. The latest tremor in Hatay province in Turkey on Monday night caused panic among Duhok residents, as buildings shook in the area.