A powerful 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Turkey’s Balikesir province on Sunday night, causing 16 buildings to collapse and killing one person.
The quake hit the town of Sindirgi at 7:53 p.m. local time (16:53 GMT) and was felt in several cities, including Istanbul and Izmir. An 81-year-old woman died shortly after being rescued from the rubble, while 29 others were injured.
Search and rescue operations have now ended, with no further casualties reported. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed condolences and vowed full support for recovery efforts.
Pictures from the epicentre show flattened buildings and piles of debris. Turkey, which lies on major fault lines, experiences frequent and sometimes deadly earthquakes.
Turkey is highly prone to seismic activity due to its location at the intersection of major tectonic plates. In February 2023, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s southeastern region, killing more than 50,000 people and destroying entire cities, including Antakya. The disaster also claimed over 5,000 lives in neighbouring Syria, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced. Over the years, several other quakes have caused significant destruction, underscoring the country’s vulnerability to such natural disasters.
