The earth continues to shake in the Sındırgı district of the southern province of Balıkesir (north-western Turkey), where hundreds of tremors continue to occur since an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck in early August, injuring dozens of people and collapsing more than a dozen buildings. While scientists are trying to find explanations for this phenomenon, the people of the region are living in fear and unable to sleep in their homes because of the continuous earthquakes.
According to Turkish broadcaster NTV, the latest quake struck at around 1:27 a.m. this morning (0:27 CET) and, according to information provided by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD), it reached a magnitude of 4.5 and struck at a depth of 7 kilometres, with its epicentre again in Sındırgı.
Although no injuries or major damage were reported, the earthquake caused great concern among the residents of the district, where throughout the night many people decided to spend the night outside their homes for fear of further tremors, either in the street or in cars, or even pitching tents in local squares and parks.
Sındırgı was also the epicentre at midnight from Sunday to Monday of another 5.1 earthquake, which, like the one that occurred in the last few hours, was felt not only in Balıkesir but also in other nearby provinces, including Istanbul, Yalova, Aydın, İzmir, Bursa and Çanakkale. According to seismological records, more than 3,500 tremors have been recorded in the area in the last month – the largest of which measured 5.0 – and, in the last three days alone, there have been some 450 earthquakes with epicentres in Sındırgı (the largest of which measured 4.7 on the Richter scale).
This northwestern district of Turkey has been suffering from hundreds of earthquakes since a 6.1 earthquake on 10 August left nearly 30 people injured and at least 16 buildings collapsed in the aftermath. Scientists attribute this phenomenon to the underground structure of tectonic faults running through the region; although they do not yet have a clear explanation as to why the earth is still shaking in this part of the country after several weeks, experts do not yet believe that this succession of tremors is a prelude to a major earthquake.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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