A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake jolted Turkiye’s Sindigiri district in western Balikesir province on Monday night, officials said, citing the country’s disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
The earthquake, according to AFAD, struck western Balikesir province at 10:48 pm local time (1948 GMT). The tremors of the earthquake with a depth of nearly 5.99 kilometres (3.72 miles) were also felt in surrounding provinces, including Istanbul.
“The disaster emergency services, along with the other relief and rescue agencies, were dispatched to the affected area to assess the damage,” said Turkiye’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz on the Turkish social media platform.
Turkiye sits on top of major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent. In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and south-eastern provinces.
More than 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighbouring Syria. Meanwhile, authorities on Tuesday issued several advisories for the people in the affected region.
Turkey is prone to earthquakes due to its location on various fault lines. In 2017 alone, Turkey experienced 26,290 earthquakes. Of course, they weren't all measured at a devastating magnitude. A little over 18,000 of those earthquakes have a magnitude of 2.0 or lower.
Also Read: Powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake kills 69 in Philippines
Follow us
