On 6 February 2023, two significant seismic events occurred in the southeastern region of Türkiye. The seismic activity, which was perceptible in numerous countries beyond Türkiye, resulted in a considerable number of fatalities. A considerable number of individuals lost their lives and were rendered homeless as a result of the disaster. Two of the most significant factors contributing to the occurrence of these tragedies are the magnitude of the earthquake and structural deficiencies. The present study is concerned with a detailed analysis of these two factors. This study initially considers the seismicity of the region where the earthquakes that occurred on 6 February 2023 took place, as well as the seismic characteristics of these earthquakes. Subsequently, the findings of the field studies conducted in Hatay, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya, the cities where the earthquakes caused the most destruction, are presented. The objective of the field study is to ascertain the collapse patterns, structural damages and the factors influencing these damages in reinforced concrete structures in the region. The primary causes of damage to structures can be attributed to several factors, including the presence of a strong beam-weak column mechanism, the soft story-weak story mechanism, the pounding effect, the short column damage, the long cantilever and overhangs, the short beam damage, the buckling damage, the torsion effect, the quality of the materials, the insufficient transverse reinforcement, the compressive failure due to over-reinforcement, the corrosion effect, the damage to reinforced concrete shear walls, the infill wall damage, and the damage caused by the soil and foundation system. These causes have been evaluated and recommendations have been formulated to prevent structural damage.

Minareler uzun ve ince bir mimari görünümde, genellikle betonarme, yığma ve ahşap olarak bazen camiden bağımsız bazen de cami ile bitişik olarak inşa edilen yapılardır. Bu yapılar mimari görünümlerinin beraberinde getirmiş olduğu yapısal etkenler nedeniyle depremler karşısında hasar görebilmekte ve yıkılabilmektedir. Minarelerde meydana gelen bu hasarlar can ve mal kayıplarına sebep olmaktadır. Bu nedenle minarelerin deprem güvenilirliğinin sağlanması elzem bir durumdur. Bu çalışma kapsamında, 24 Ocak 2020 tarihinde merkez üssü Sivrice olarak meydana gelen ve birçok şehirde de hissedilen orta büyüklükteki deprem sonrasında Elazığ ili sınırları içerisindeki minarelerde meydana gelen hasarlar araştırılmıştır. Hasar gören minareler için hasarların oluştuğu kısımlar belirlenmiş ve literatürdeki benzer çalışmalarla birlikte değerlendirilerek yorumlanmıştır. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, meydana gelen yıkıcı depremlerden dersler çıkararak mevcut hataların sebeplerini ortaya koymak ve daha güvenilir minarelerin inşa edilmesine katkı sağlamaktır.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 (Mw) has occurred in Sivrice district of Elazığ province in Eastern Turkey, on January 24, 2020. The main shock and long-term aftershocks felt fairly by near vicinities. Many structures have been damaged severely or demolished at this moderate earthquake that occurred on East Anatolia Fault (EAF) zone. Also resulted in sum 41 casualties, including 37 people in Elazığ and 4 people in Malatya. The purpose of this paper is to give information of the tectonic characteristics of the EAF zone, the seismic characteristics of the earthquake territory, the general characteristics of the main shock and after-shocks. In addition, another purpose of this article is to reveal the damages caused by the earthquake in the reinforced concrete (RC) buildings in Elazığ, with the post-earthquake field observations. The main reasons of damages have presented and discussed. The most important reason for damages of structures is the lack of engineering services, in other words, not being constructed properly with respect to the available building codes.