An earthquake that shook northwest Turkey this morning and could also be felt in Istanbul caused panic among the population in the region, causing several material damages. Sources from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) reported that the earthquake occurred at a depth of about 9 km with an epicentre at 4.73 km in Gemlik Bay off the coast of Mudanya, in the province of Bursa, reaching an intensity of 5.1 on the Richter scale. It was followed only 3 minutes later by another earthquake with an intensity of 4.5.
According to initial reports from AFAD itself and the governors of Bursa and Istanbul, the earthquake caused no loss of life and no buildings were confirmed to have collapsed, although special teams are still inspecting the region to assess the damage. However, schools in the region were evacuated for safety, and cracks in some buildings and damage to facades were reported.
Turkey’s social networks were immediately filled with all kinds of messages and testimonies about the earthquake, which caused panic among the population of the most affected provinces – Bursa and Istanbul – but also among other neighbouring provinces such as Kocaeli, Sakarya and Çanakkale, where the intensity of the tremor could also be felt.
The panic was felt especially in Istanbul, which already suffered a violent earthquake of about 6 degrees in 2019 that left dozens of people injured, and where the authorities have been warning for some time of the coming of a “Big One” with potentially catastrophic effects.
Turkey is a country crisscrossed by several active tectonic faults, and earthquakes are frequent in much of the Anatolian peninsula. On 6 February, the country suffered one of the worst earthquakes in its history: two earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.6 that devastated the whole of southeastern Turkey, killing more than 50,000 people.
Speaking to the Turkish press, professor and seismology expert Şükrü Ersoy said the fault that triggered today’s quake has the potential to generate earthquakes of greater magnitude, adding that these low to medium intensity earthquakes are a reminder of the need to prepare for a major earthquake. “A magnitude 5 earthquake produces energy equivalent to about 30 magnitude 4 earthquakes. Those living in Gemlik must have felt it very strongly,” he said.
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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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