Letter: Quake warning

Sir: The appalling catastrophe in Turkey, in a region known for seismic activity, reinforces the demand for the abandonment of the proposed nuclear facility at Akkuyu in southern Turkey, where there is also a risk of earthquakes.

The consequences of damage to such a facility would be felt not only in Turkey, but in many neighbouring countries, on a scale far greater than even the present destruction, and over a longer period. One shudders to think of the consequences if the Izmit Oil Refinery had been a nuclear reactor.

Protecting people from the worst effects of earthquakes is more important than investment in a failing technology with massive clean-up costs. Multinationals are now targeting the poorer countries because the market in the West is dying - so much for nuclear non-proliferation.

Sustainable energy resources, such as wind and solar power, are abundant in the region, and should be encouraged instead.

Councillor COLIN ROBB

London Borough of Enfield

HUSSEIN ATESHIN

Faculty of Architecture

Eastern Mediterranean University

Gazimagusa, North Cyprus

ANDREW LOVE MP

(Edmonton, Lab)

House of Commons

Dr CHARALAMBOS C CLEANTHOUS

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington, USA

RAY BERRY

Dundreggan, Inverness

GLEN D CAMP

Professor of Politics

Bryant College

Smithfield, Rhode Island, USA

YIANNOS IOANNOU

Nicosia, Cyprus