People leave Istanbul

Quake psychosis led people to leave Istanbul. The number of people moving doubled, the transportation agencies say.


       After Aug., 17 quake and the aftershock, which shook the Western Turkey the day before and was 5.8 on the Richter scale, more and more people leave Istanbul. Most of the people living in the European side of the city, where the earthquake risk is higher, started to move to the Anatolian side and Middle Anatolia.
       Many others go to Southern Turkey to take a holiday, say the travel agencies.
       "Many people waited in the airport until the morning. The most interesting incident we saw after the quake was a demand from a Turkish citizen who was living in Germany but was in Istanbul at the time of the earthquake. He wanted us to send him to Germany immediately since he had a German passport. Otherwise he said, he would take shelter in German Embassy," said an Onur Air worker.
       "People living in Altinoluk and Edremit wanted to leave their places immediately after the quake. Those who had money, went to Southern Turkey for holiday, others visited their relatives in distant cities," said the Mediterranean and Aegean director of Ihlas Tourism Agency.