ISTANBUL: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul on Wednesday, with the impact felt across Turkey’s largest city where people rushed onto the streets. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, officials said, but the quake was followed by at least eight others, Turkey’s AFAD disaster management agency said. “An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in Silivri, Sea of Marmara, Istanbul,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X, adding that it was felt in the surrounding provinces.
The initial quake struck at 12:49 pm (0949 GMT) at a depth of 6.92 kilometres under the sea, which lies to the south of the city, AFAD said.
It was followed by eight others with magnitudes of 3.5 to 5.9. As buildings shook, people rushed onto the streets where crowds of worried-looking people stared at their mobile phones for information or made calls, an AFP correspondent said.
“I just felt earthquake, I’ve got to get out,” a shaken-looking decorator said while rushing out of a fourth-storey apartment where he was working near the city’s Galata Tower, who did not want to give his name.
Footage posted by the state news agency Anadolu showed the minaret of a mosque in the Beylikduzu district just west of the historic peninsula swaying during the inial quake.
