A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Turkey’s northwestern province of Balikesir on Sunday, causing a few dozen buildings to collapse, an official said. Not less than two people were trapped within the debris of a collapsed constructing.
The earthquake, with an epicenter within the town of Sindirgi, sent shocks that were felt some 200 kilometers away in Istanbul, a city of greater than 16 million people.
Sindirgi’s mayor Serkan Sak told HaberTurk that 4 people were rescued from a collapsed constructing within the town while rescuers were trying to achieve two other people from the structure.
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Several houses also collapsed within the nearby village of Golcuk, he said. The minaret of a mosque also tumbled down within the village.
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency said the earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 4.6, and urged residents to not enter damaged buildings.
Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent.
In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed greater than 53,000 people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged lots of of 1000’s of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces.
One other 6,000 people were killed within the northern parts of neighboring Syria.
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