Moderate Earthquake Shakes Istanbul; No Immediate Damage

Istanbul, Oct 2 (AP) A moderately strong earthquake rattled Istanbul and several areas in northwestern Turkiye on Thursday, according to the country's emergency services.

While the tremor prompted people to flee buildings and led to evacuations from schools, there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The quake registered a preliminary magnitude of 5 and was centered in the Sea of Marmara, off Tekirdag province, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). It occurred at 2:55 PM local time (1155 GMT) at a preliminary depth of 6.71 kilometers.

In Istanbul, a bustling metropolis of 16 million residents where the threat of a major earthquake is a persistent worry, some people hurriedly evacuated buildings in panic. The private broadcaster NTV reported that students were evacuated from classrooms in several schools.

The governor’s office in Istanbul announced that preliminary evaluations indicated no evidence of damage.

Earlier, in August, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake had struck Sindirgi in the northwestern province of Balikesir, resulting in one fatality and causing injuries to dozens. Since then, the area around Balikesir has experienced a series of smaller tremors.

Turkiye is situated atop significant fault lines, and as a result, earthquakes are a common occurrence.

In 2023, a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake claimed over 53,000 lives in Turkiye and resulted in the destruction or damage of hundreds of thousands of structures across 11 provinces in the south and southeast. In northern regions of neighboring Syria, an additional 6,000 people lost their lives. (AP)

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