New research on seismic events conducted by scientists indicates that a massive earthquake could hit Istanbul in the near future. This warning is being taken seriously by the Turkish government who are now taking action to minimise damage if the prediction turns out to be true. The seismic team predicted a quake in the coastal city of Izmit in 1999 – but the specific warnings were ignored and some 25,000 people were killed. The latest thinking is that earthquakes are connected and can trigger each other and that fault lines close to the Turkish city are under severe stress and will lead to a large quake sooner rather than later.