WE are shocked to learn that an earthquake at the Turkish town of Bingol has left at least 150 people dead, including a number of school children. We condole the tragic deaths and express our solidarity with the people of Turkey in their hour of distress.

An earthquake is one of those vagaries of nature, the precise cause of which is still not known. But there are risk factors and certain zones are identified as highly vulnerable. It is disturbing to know that Bangladesh is one of the countries that are at a risk of being jolted by tremors of medium to high intensity. The experts have pointed out that the city of Dhaka is on the same tectonic plate as the western Indian town of Bhuj, which was battered by a severe earthquake not long ago. They have also predicted that around 70 per cent of the buildings in the city might just fail to withstand the pressure of an earthquake of medium intensity. It seems neither the planners nor the builders could foresee that earthquakes could ever become a real threat for us. But all indications are now there that severe or medium intensity earthquakes may hit the country any time.

The universally prescribed method of minimising deaths and destruction caused by an earthquake is to follow a building code which will make the structures far less vulnerable to seismic convulsions. California, an earthquake-prone city in the United States, has succeeded to a great extent in protecting buildings and other structures by strictly following the building code designed to reduce the impact of an earthquake. So there are examples of how we should set about the task of facing the danger.

It is also necessary to enhance earthquake preparedness by raising specially trained teams of volunteers who could help the victims if an earthquake strikes. Quick and effective rescue operations will be needed to keep the situation under control. Finally, earthquakes should not be treated as an imaginary threat, after all that we have heard from the experts at home and abroad.