An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck western Turkey on Monday, leading to the collapse of at least three buildings that had already been weakened by an earlier tremor, according to officials. No deaths were immediately reported.
The epicenter was recorded in the town of Sindirgi in Balikesir province, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said. Officials added that the earthquake occurred at 10:48 p.m. local time (1948 GMT) at a depth of roughly 6 kilometers (3.7 miles).
The quake, followed by several aftershocks, was felt across Istanbul and nearby provinces including Bursa, Manisa, and Izmir.
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Earthquake triggers building collapse
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that three vacant buildings and a two-story shop collapsed in Sindirgi. The buildings, however, had prior damage from an earlier earthquake.
Balikesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said 22 people were injured, mostly from falls and panic-related incidents, a common occurrence during quakes due to their physical and psychological impact.
“So far, we have not identified any loss of life, but we are continuing our assessment,” Sindirgi district administrator Dogukan Koyuncu told state-run Anadolu Agency.
Haberturk television reported that many residents stayed outdoors, afraid to return home.
As rain began to fall, Ustaoglu said mosques, schools, and sports halls were being kept open to shelter those unwilling to go back due to the fear of more aftershocks.
Sindirgi had previously been hit in August by another 6.1-magnitude earthquake that killed one person and injured several others. Since then, the Balikesir region has experienced a series of smaller tremors.
Turkey lies along major fault lines, making earthquakes a frequent occurrence. In 2023, a devastating 7.8-magnitude quake killed over 53,000 people across 11 southern and southeastern provinces and left hundreds of thousands of buildings destroyed or damaged. Another 6,000 deaths were reported in northern Syria.
