Structural damages in masonry buildings in Adıyaman during the Kahramanmaraş (Turkiye) earthquakes (Mw 7.7 and Mw 7.6) on 06 February 2023

The 06 February 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes, which were the disaster of the century for Türkiye and in which more than 50,000 people lost their lives, caused many buildings to collapse or receive significant structural damages. Adıyaman is one of the provinces that caused the most destruction by earthquakes affecting 11 different provinces, which occupy approximately 14% of the country's surface area. The masonry buildings have been severely damaged by earthquakes, which constitute a significant part of the building stock in the province’s rural areas. In this study, the region’s seismicity and the spectral acceleration values of the last earthquakes were analyzed, and the distribution of building damages was given statistically. The main goal of this study is to determine the collapse and failure mechanisms of existing unreinforced masonry buildings in detail. The study also includes reconstruction strategies or retrofitting procedures to prevent damage to masonry structures in the region. Non-compliance with seismic design codes is the leading cause of damage in masonry buildings constructed by local craftsmen using low-strength wall and joint building materials. The usage of heavy earthen roofs, insufficient wall-wall, and wall-roof connections, lack of vertical and horizontal beams, poor workmanship, and insufficient interlocking between layers are the causes of structural damages observed in the field. At the end of the study, critical clauses in the current earthquake code were emphasized, and the precautions to be taken for existing and new design masonry buildings were also mentioned.