6.1-magnitude earthquake jolts western Turkey, no casualties reported
Ankara
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck western Turkey late Monday, shaking several provinces and damaging buildings, though no immediate casualties were reported, the country’s emergency management agency AFAD said.
The tremor was centered in the town of Sindirgi in Balikesir province and occurred at 22:48 local time (1948 GMT) at a shallow depth of 5.99 kilometers (3.72 miles). The quake was felt strongly in Istanbul, as well as in the nearby provinces of Bursa, Manisa, and Izmir, according to Turkish media.
Television networks reported that several buildings in Sindirgi sustained structural damage, while authorities were assessing the extent of the impact. Emergency response teams were deployed to the affected areas, but officials confirmed that no fatalities or major injuries had been recorded as of early Tuesday.
Sindirgi had previously been struck in August by another 6.1-magnitude earthquake that killed one person and injured dozens. Since then, the Balikesir region has experienced a series of smaller aftershocks, raising concern among residents.
Turkey is among the world’s most seismically active countries, sitting atop multiple major fault lines. In 2023, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed over 53,000 people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings across 11 provinces in southern and southeastern Turkey. The disaster also claimed about 6,000 lives in northern Syria.
