Strong earthquake rattles Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 shook Istanbul on Wednesday, Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency said. There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries, but many people poured out of buildings in Istanbul in fear, looking for information on their phones and calling loved ones.

The earthquake had a shallow depth of about 6 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey. Its epicenter was some 25 miles southwest of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara.

It was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 5.3. The disaster and emergency management agency urged residents to stay away from buildings.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said there were no “serious cases” reported following the earthquake, in a statement posted on its social media accounts.

Kemal Cebi, the mayor of Kucukcekmece district in western Istanbul, told local broadcaster NTV that there were “no negative developments yet,” but he reported traffic jams and said many buildings were potentially at risk due to the density of the area.

Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Feb. 6, 2023, and a second powerful tremor that came hours later, destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern Turkish provinces, leaving more than 53,000 people dead. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.

This breaking news story will be updated.