A powerful 6.1 magnitude earthquake rattled the northwestern province of Balikesir in Turkey on Sunday, leading to the collapse of around twelve buildings, as confirmed by an official. Amid the destruction, at least two individuals were trapped under the rubble of a collapsed structure.
The seismic event originated in the town of Sindirgi and its tremors reverberated as far as 200 kilometers away in Istanbul, a bustling metropolis with a population exceeding 16 million residents.
Mayor Serkan Sak of Sindirgi disclosed to HaberTurk that four individuals were successfully rescued from a collapsed building within the town, with ongoing efforts to reach two more individuals believed to be trapped in the wreckage.
Additionally, numerous residences in the adjacent village of Golcuk suffered collapses, with reports indicating the collapse of a mosque’s minaret in the village.
Following the earthquake, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency cautioned the public about subsequent aftershocks, including one measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale, advising citizens to avoid entering damaged structures.
Turkey, situated atop significant fault lines, experiences frequent seismic activity. In a tragic incident in 2023, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake claimed over 53,000 lives in Turkey, causing extensive destruction to hundreds of thousands of buildings across 11 provinces in the southern and southeastern regions. Furthermore, the earthquake resulted in the loss of approximately 6,000 lives in northern Syria, a neighboring country.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing situation.