Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Sunday claimed he was not invited to a meeting about measures to be taken after Turkey's largest city was hit by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake this week.

The earthquake, whose epicentre was in the town of Silivri west of Istanbul, jolted the 15 million-strong city on Thursday, causing panic and prompting residents to evacuate buildings. Officials said eight people were lightly injured.

Turkish authorities held a meeting to hammer out a disaster response plan in Istanbul after the quake, which was hosted by Vice President Fuat Oktay.

Imamoglu, who was elected mayor of Istanbul in the June election from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said he did not attend the meeting because he was not invited.

"I want to call on state officials. The elections are over, they are behind us," he told reporters in Istanbul.

"The priority issue for me is earthquake. Let's produce solutions together," he said.

Oktay however said: "The management of a disaster does not wait for an invitation", in comments carried by the official Anadolu news agency.

"We did not have a chance to talk about this other than work ... we manage a disaster here. We do not wait for an invitation," he said.

Experts have predicted a major earthquake to hit Istanbul, which rang alarm bells after the latest tremor this week.

Imamoglu's initial election win in March was cancelled after controversial claims of rigging by Turkey's ruling party but he won a decisive victory in June.

His win put the opposition in control of Turkey's economic powerhouse which has been a vital source of patronage for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party for a quarter-century.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Honey heals wounds of war in Colombian village
Chengue, Colombia (AFP) Sept 25, 2019
Covered from head to toe in a protective suit, Yina Ortiz peers through a veil to check in on her beehive. It is one of hundreds that form a lifeline for her remote village, helping to heal the wounds of one of the Colombian conflict's most brutal atrocities. Rightwing paramilitaries stormed the village in the dead of night and used machetes to hack 27 people to death, accusing them of collaborating with leftist guerrillas. The attack 18 years ago was one of the conflict's worst atrocities. ... read more