A strong earthquake has hit Turkiye, causing buildings in the city of Istanbul to shake.
The quake, taking place at 12:49 [09:49 GMT] on Wednesday in the Marmara Sea off the coast of Istanbul’s Silvri area, registered a preliminary 6.2 magnitude, reports Turkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Authority (AFAD).
It was at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles), according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
The initial quake was followed by three others with magnitudes of 4.4 to 4.9, posted AFAD on X.
As buildings shook, people rushed onto the streets where crowds of worried-looking people stared at their mobile phones for information or made calls, an AFP correspondent said.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but people evacuated buildings as structures rumbled in the city, located on the European and Asian shores of the Bosphorus strait. Broadcaster TGRT reported that one person had been injured as a result of jumping off a balcony during the quake, which occurred during a public holiday in Turkiye.
Kemal Cebi, the mayor of Kucukcekmece district in western Istanbul, told local broadcaster NTV that there were “no negative developments yet” but said that there were traffic jams and that many buildings were already at risk due to the density of the area.
In a post on X, Turkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said emergency authorities have begun “field assessments” and offered well wishes to those affected.
AFAD warned people in the region against entering damaged buildings.
The tremors could be felt as far away as Bulgaria, according to AFP journalists in the capital Sofia.
Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent. (Al Jazeera)
