AIR Worldwide estimates up to $170 million for Turkey quake

A Magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck in the province of Van, Turkey on Oct. 23 caused insured losses of between $55 million and $170 million, AIR Worldwide says.In the three days since the event, at least 400 aftershocks above Magnitude 3 have been reported in total.Unlike urban centres in western Turkey, the majority of construction in Van province is unreinforced masonry, an AIR release says. As of Oct. 24, more than 2,000 buildings sustained damage ranging from moderate to complete. The geographical and structural distribution of affected buildings is still being determined. “Despite this uncertainty, patterns discernible thus far reveal that the damage from Sunday’s quake is similar to that from past events in Turkey,” AIR Worldwide says.The Van quake is the largest to strike Turkey since 1999, when a Magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Duzce killed more than 1,000 people and caused significant structural damage.