An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 shook Istanbul and other cities and surrounding provinces in northwestern Turkey on Wednesday. According to the Turkish authorities, there is no record of fatalities or serious damage.
At least 236 people have been injured and receive treatment. According to the authorities, most injuries result from panic attacks and attempts to jump from buildings.
Istanbul is considered a high -risk city for a large earthquake. Experts warn that the city has a 64% chance of suffering a magnitude 7 by 2030.
According to the United States Geological Service (USGS), the earthquake had a depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter was located in the Marmara Sea, about 40 kilometers southwest of the most populous Turkish city.
The smoothie also felt in the neighboring provinces of Tekirdag, Yalova, Bursa and Balikesir and in the coastal city of Izmir, about 550 kilometers south of Istanbul.
Interior Minister, there Yerlikaya said the earthquake lasted about 13 seconds and was followed by more than one hundred aftershocks, which the strongest reached the magnitude 5.9.
The earthquake occurred at 12:49 (local time) on Wednesday, during a vacation, when many children were not at school and played in the streets of Istanbul. The residents, panic, ran from home to the street.
“We were having breakfast. First, we felt a small earthquake. Later, when we went to Washbasin to refresh me, I saw everything to shake,” said a resident of Estanbul in statements to Euronews.
The authorities asked civilians to avoid entering buildings that could have been damaged and said that the pavilions and sports mosques would be open to anyone who would not want to spend the night at home. The authorities also asked the public to remain outdoors when the replicas occurred.
“We are lucky to live in an apartment built on a base. It is safe. We still decided to wait a little more. When we feel safe, we will also go home, if God wants,” said another inhabitant of Istanbul.
The authorities received 378 notifications of “structural damage” in several buildings, said Environmental Minister, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, adding that 12 buildings were evacuated by caution.
According to the authorities, only a building, a long and abandoned structure in the historic neighborhood Fatih, collapsed, according to the authorities.
“Thank God, there seems to be problems for now,” said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an event that marked the National Sovereignty and Children’s Festival.
“May God protect our country and our people of all kinds of calamities, disasters, accidents and problems,” Erdogan added.
Türkiye is crossed by two main defects and earthquakes are frequent.
ADVERTISINGAn earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on February 6, 2023 and a second strong tremor killed more than 53,000 people in the country and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings from 11 provinces of the southern and southeast. Another 6000 people died in the north of neighboring Syria.
In an attempt to avoid the damage of a future earthquake, the National Government and local administrations began urban reconstruction projects to strengthen buildings at risk and launched demolition campaigns for the risk of crumbling.
