Japanese expert: "deadly pulse" behind Turkey's earthquake damage

The seismic wave caused serious damage. EPA.

A Japanese seismologist has suggested that the "deadly pulse", a seismic wave of up to two seconds, is behind the extensive damage to buildings in Turkey.

According to NHK yesterday, Mori Shineichero has begun a field study in southern Turkey, almost a month after the strong earthquakes that hit the region.

Mori visited the quake-hit areas in southern Turkey, where he observed a large erosion of the earth's surface caused by the quake in the town of Nurdaci, near the epicenter, and said the ground appeared to have been subjected to vertical and horizontal drifts. Mori inspected a building whose first floor collapsed. He hammered the building's pillars to check their strength, and Mori said buildings that were not earthquake-resistant enough were badly damaged.