Istanbul's mayor warns 90,000 buildings are at risk if a major earthquake strikes

A man watches a search and rescue operation from a pile of rubble in Hatay, Turkey, after the earthquake. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

ISTANBUL — The mayor of Istanbul is warning that some 90,000 buildings could be at risk of collapsing if a major earthquake strikes Turkey's largest city. The warning comes as the death toll from last week's quake in Turkey and northern Syria now exceeds 40,000.

Istanbul's Mayor Ekrum Imamoglu said on a Turkish TV program that the current estimate of buildings at risk of collapse in a quake is nearly twice as large as the previous administration believed.