An earthquake measuring 6.1 struck Turkey’s northwestern Balikesir province on Sunday evening, killing one person and injuring 29 others, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed.
The tremor, recorded by Turkey’s AFAD disaster management authority at 7:53 p.m. local time, was felt across multiple provinces, including Istanbul, the country’s largest city. AFAD said the quake occurred at a depth of 11 kilometres (6.8 miles), while the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) measured it at 6.19 magnitude and a depth of 10 kilometres.
Among the casualties was an 81-year-old who died after being rescued from rubble by emergency teams. Sixteen buildings collapsed during the quake, and several others sustained damage. Images from Sindirgi, a district in Balikesir, showed crushed vehicles beneath piles of debris.
Yerlikaya confirmed that search and rescue operations have now concluded, with no further signs of serious damage or missing persons.
Turkey, which lies on several active fault lines, is prone to earthquakes, with its northwestern region particularly vulnerable to seismic activity.
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