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A series of earthquakes struck Istanbul on Wednesday, sending residents fleeing buildings and prompting Turkish authorities to urge people to remain outdoors as a precaution.
The most powerful tremor, measuring 6.2 in magnitude, hit the Marmara Sea around 13 miles off the Turkish coast at 12:49 p.m. local time (5:49 a.m. ET), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It was followed by at least three aftershocks ranging between magnitudes 4 and 5, all centered near the crucial Bosphorus Strait.
According to the USGS’ “Did You Feel It?” map, the quake was felt as far away as Bucharest, Romania, and Sofia, Bulgaria—nearly 300 miles from the epicenter.
Despite the intensity of the tremors, Turkish Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu reported no damage or disruptions to highways, airports, trains, or subway systems. However, officials confirmed that at least 151 people were hospitalized after jumping from buildings in panic.
Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, has launched field assessments to evaluate the situation on the ground, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Situated at the convergence of the Eurasian, Arabian, and African tectonic plates, Turkey is one of the world’s most seismically active regions. The country is still reeling from the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in February 2023, which killed around 60,000 people in Turkey and neighboring Syria, followed by more than 500 aftershocks in a single day.
