Istanbul Earthquake Warnings Underlined by Eastern Turkey Tremor

City of 15 million is on a fault line rocked by a series of temblors

Rescue workers work at the scene of a collapsed building in Elazig following an earthquake on Jan. 26.

Photographer: Burak Kara/Getty Images 

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Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city with 15 million people, should prepare for an earthquake of magnitude 7.5.

That was the chilling prediction of Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu after the temblor measuring 6.7 that killed dozens of people Jan. 24 in Elazig province, 750 miles from the nation’s economic heartland. A quake as strong as 7.5 could level buildings and cause tens of thousands of deaths.