Dozens of buildings damaged and more than 150 injured: that is, for now, the provisional toll from the 6.2 strong earthquake that shook the heart of the city of Istanbul at midday today and which, according to seismologists, has been followed by more than fifty aftershocks in the last few hours.
The violent earthquake, the largest experienced in recent years by the Turkish metropolis, sparked panic among the population of the city, especially on the European side of the city, which was the most affected due to its proximity to the epicentre of the earthquake, located in the Sea of Marmara off the coast of the district of Silivri. After the main tremor and subsequent aftershocks, the main parks in the area were filled with people seeking open spaces free of buildings for fear of further earthquakes.
Damage to building facades was also reported in districts neighbouring Silivri, such as Büyükçekmece, where several buildings were damaged, fortunately without causing any injuries. In other areas of the city, there were some partial collapses in abandoned buildings, none of which were inhabited.
According to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, quoted by Turkish media outlets, the main earthquake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, struck at exactly 12:49 p.m. (11:49 a.m. CET) at a depth of 7 km below the seabed of the Sea of Marmara, 24 km off the coast of the Istanbul district of Silivri, and lasted a total of 13 seconds. By 3:12 p.m. (2:12 p.m. CET), 51 aftershocks had been recorded, the largest of which reached 5.9 on the Richter scale, with some of these aftershocks centred off the coast of districts such as Büyükçekmece and Esenyurt.
No fatalities have been reported following the earthquake
Yerlikaya said that the emergency number 112 had received more than 6,100 calls in the last few hours, the vast majority of them from citizens calling for more information about the earthquakes. The minister confirmed that, for the time being, no deaths have been reported as a result of the earthquake, nor have there been any collapses of inhabited buildings, although the work of the teams responsible for inspecting any possible damage continues unabated.
‘There are no problems with communications infrastructure or energy supplies. We ask citizens to pay attention to warnings from official bodies and to remain cautious in case of possible aftershocks. Please do not trust unfounded information spread through social media,’ the minister added.
151 injured by the earthquake
For his part, the governor of Istanbul issued a statement in the last few hours confirming that 151 people had been injured after jumping out of windows in panic during the earthquake. All of them are being treated in hospitals, and ‘their lives are not in danger,’ said Governor Davut Gül.
Gül also confirmed that at 15:30 (14:30 CET), almost three hours after the main earthquake, there had been no reports of power, gas or drinking water cuts, nor any significant damage to transport and sewerage infrastructure. ‘There has been no loss of life during the earthquake in Istanbul. There is no destruction of residential buildings in the city. An abandoned building collapsed in the Fatih district, but no one was killed or injured in the incident. The field work of the inspection teams continues,’ the governor concluded.
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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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