More than 150 people injured in Türkiye after 6.2 magnitude quake hits off Istanbul's coast

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 hit the Marmara Sea near the western outskirts of Istanbul on Wednesday.

Police near a collapsed building, with tape blocking them off.

At least 151 people were injured and received hospital treatment after leaping from buildings in panic during the tremor. Source: Getty / Anadolu

More than 150 people were injured when they jumped from buildings in Istanbul in Türkiye on Wednesday, as one of the strongest quakes in years hit the city.

Many people gathered in parks and others sat on doorsteps, or stood outside their homes in the centre of Istanbul as aftershocks from the magnitude 6.2 quake on the European side of the city continued to be felt.

"It started with a big tremor all of a sudden and we felt it very strongly," said Istanbul resident Neslisah Aygoren, sitting in a park.

"I ran straight to my dog in fear, hugged it and we waited for it to end, lying on the ground. After that, we took our belongings and went straight to the street."

A total of 151 people were hurt and received hospital treatment after leaping from buildings in panic during the tremor, but none were in a critical condition, the Istanbul governor's office said.
People are sitting in a park.
People gathered outdoors following the 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Istanbul, Türkiye. Source: AP / Khalil Hamra
It said one abandoned building collapsed in central Istanbul, but nobody was hurt, while there was no damage to the city's energy or water infrastructure, which serves a population of 16 million on the European and Asian shores of the Bosphorus Strait.

Two years ago, Türkiye suffered the deadliest and most destructive earthquake in its modern history.

That 7.8-magnitude quake in February 2023 killed more than 55,000 people and injured more than 107,000 in southern Türkiye and northern Syria.

Hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced, with many still living in temporary housing due to that quake.
The latest tremor also revived memories of a 1999 earthquake near Istanbul that killed 17,000.

The epicentre of Wednesday's quake, which hit at 7.49pm AEST, was in the area of Silivri, some 80km to the west of Istanbul. It was at a depth of 6.92km, Turkey's AFAD disaster agency said.

Transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said inspections did not reveal any damage to highways, airports, trains or subways.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said on X he was monitoring the situation and his office issued advice on what people should do in the case of further quakes.

 For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.

Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Istanbul earthquake: More than 150 people injured in Türkiye | SBS News