Turkey’s largest city Istanbul was hit by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake on Wednesday, leaving at least 151 people injured.
The office of Istanbul’s governor said most of the injuries were a result of people trying to jump from buildings, adding that “their treatments are ongoing in hospitals, and they are not in life-threatening condition.”
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles).
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The quake’s epicenter was located about 40 kilometers southwest of Istanbul, in the Sea of Marmara, but it was still felt strongly in Istanbul.
DW correspondent Julia Hahn witnessed “shock and panic” among many Istanbul residents.
“We saw people leaving buildings and gathering outside in the open air. The fear is very understandable because Turkey is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries,” Hahn added.
“Istanbul was affected by a powerful quake in 1999. In 2023, two massive tremors devastated large parts of southeastern Turkey. This is on people’s minds,” Hahn added.
“This is the risk we live with in this city, this is part of life here in Turkey, unfortunately,” she said.
Panicked residents rushed from homes and buildings into the streets and into the city’s parks, many shell shocked by the quake.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the quake, which started at 12:49 pm local time (9:49 UTC/GMT), lasted some 13 seconds and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks.
The quake hit the city during a public holiday, the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.
Children were out of schools and families out and about on the streets when the quake hit.
“Thank God, there does not seem to be any problems for now,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during an event marking the holiday. “May God protect our country and our people from all kinds of calamities, disasters, accidents and troubles.”
The tremor was felt in the neighboring provinces of Tekirdag, Yalova, Bursa and Balikesir and in the city of Izmir, some 550 kilometers south of Istanbul.
