A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul on Wednesday, sending thousands of residents rushing to the streets in fear. The tremor hit at 12:49 PM (0949 GMT), with its epicenter located 6.92 kilometers beneath the sea, just south of Istanbul. The earthquake, which lasted 13 seconds, was followed by over 50 aftershocks, some reaching a magnitude of 5.9.
Despite the widespread panic, no significant damage or fatalities were reported. Istanbul’s governor confirmed that hospitals treated 151 people who sustained injuries after jumping or attempting to jump from heights in a state of panic. Fortunately, their injuries were not life-threatening. Authorities also stated that there was no destruction to residential buildings, although an abandoned structure in the Fatih District collapsed without causing harm.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes as people poured out of buildings. One decorator, shaken by the tremor, hurriedly fled from a fourth-floor apartment near Galata Tower, expressing a sense of helplessness as he escaped the shaking. Images from the state news agency Anadolu showed the minaret of a mosque in Beylikduzu swaying during the quake, but there were no reports of major structural collapses.
Istanbul’s schools and universities, closed for National Sovereignty Day, will remain shut until the weekend as a precaution. Despite the tremors being felt as far as Bulgaria, no serious structural damage was reported across the city of 16 million people.
The earthquake comes as a reminder of Istanbul’s vulnerability to seismic activity, with much of the city lying near the active North Anatolian Fault. Many residents still remember the devastating earthquakes of 1999, which claimed the lives of around 20,000 people. Seismologists have estimated a 47% chance of a stronger earthquake in the region within the next three decades.
