Strong earthquake of 6.2 magnitude strikes Turkey’s Istanbul. The earthquake was centered in the Sea of Marmara off Istanbul.
Strong earthquake of 6.02 magnitude struck Turkey’s Istanbul on Wednesday, according to German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). It was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GFZ added. The earthquake was centred in the Sea of Marmara off Istanbul. As per the latest information, there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Where’s the epicentre?
According to Turkey’s AFAD disaster agency, it was one of the strongest earthquakes to strike the city with a population of 16 million in recent years. The AFAD said that the earthquake struck at 12:49 (0949 GMT) in the Silivri area, approximately 80 km (50 miles) to the west of Istanbul. The epicentre was at a depth of 6.92 km (4.3 miles), according to AFAD.
According to media reports, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that disaster and emergency management teams have initiated the process to assess the impact of the quakes.
The earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 5.3. The disaster and emergency management agency urged residents to stay away from buildings. The earthquake was felt in neighboring regions, reports said. Many people rushed out of homes in panic.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said there were no “serious cases” in the earthquake in a statement made on its social media accounts.
Why is Turkey prone to earthquakes?
Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines, making the country prone to earthquakes. It was hit by a deadly earthquake of 7.8 magnitude on February 6, 2023. Additionally, a second powerful tremor came hours later, destroying or damaging hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern Turkish provinces, leaving more than 53,000 people dead. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighbouring Syria.
Impact of previous earthquake
During the last earthquake, Istanbul was not impacted, however, the devastation heightened fears of a similar quake, with experts citing the city’s proximity to fault lines.
In a bid to prevent damage from any future quake, both the national government and local administrations started urban reconstruction projects to fortify buildings at risk and started campaigns to demolish buildings at risk of collapse.
(With inputs from AP)
