A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 shook Istanbul on Wednesday, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, one of the strongest quakes to strike the city of 16 million in recent years.
“An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in Silivri, Marmara Sea, Istanbul,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X, adding that it was felt in the surrounding provinces.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan immediately conveyed his best wishes to the citizens, saying that the government is following developments closely. “The ministers of Interior, environment, urbanization and climate change, health, the Governor of Istanbul and the President of AFAD received information about the earthquakes in Istanbul,” he added.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but people evacuated buildings as the quake hit and shook the city, located on the European and Asian shores of the Bosphorus strait.
The Istanbul Governorate said: “As of now, no demolition notice has been received and our relevant units are continuing their field scanning efforts.”
The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 12:49 (0949 GMT) was in the area of Silivri, some 80 km (50 miles) to the west of Istanbul. It was at a depth of 6.92 km (4.3 miles), AFAD said.
AFAD warned people in the region against entering damaged buildings.
Türkiye is crossed by two major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent.