Ankara mayor suggests Aegean quake ‘artificial,’ calls for investigation

Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek has suggested that the 6.1 magnitude earthquake which hit the Aegean Sea on Monday could have been the result of seismic testing.

The quake struck south of Greece’s Lesvos island killing one woman, injuring 10 and badly damaging buildings and roads.

In a series of tweets posted after the quake, Gokcek said the tremor could have been “man-made,” and called for an investigation.

“I think that this might be an artificial earthquake. I do not say it is certain but it is a very serious possibility,” the mayor tweeted.

“I say that it should definitely be investigated. Was there any seismic research ship sailing near the epicenter? If so, which country does it belong to?” he said.

This is not the first time that Gokcek has suggested that earthquakes have been triggered artificially.

In February, he hinted that an earthquake in Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, had been caused by external powers in order to undermine Turkey’s economy.