Epidemiologic assessment of mortality, building collapse pattern, and medical response after the 1992 earthquake in Turkey

ABSTRACT

Post-earthquake engineering and epidemiologic assessments are important for the developments of injury prevention strategies. This paper describes mortality and its relationship to building collapse patterns and initial medical response following the 1992 earthquake in Erzincan, Turkey. Results: there was extensive structural damage throughout the region, especially in the city where mid-rise, unreinforced masonry buildings (MUMB). official medical and search and rescue ocurred. Prior first-aid or rescue training of lay, uninjured survivors was associated with a higher likelihood of rescuing and resuscitating other (P<0.001) Conclusions: During an earthquake, MUMB with soft ground floor construction are highly lethal, especially for occupants on the ground floor, suggeesting that this building types is inappropriate for areas of seismic risk.