Istanbul residents spend the night outdoors after a strong earthquake
and aftershocks
[April 24, 2025]
By MEHMET GUZEL and SUZAN FRASER
ISTANBUL (AP) — Many Istanbul residents spent the night outdoors, too
fearful to return to their homes, following a strong earthquake and over
180 aftershocks.
The magnitude 6.2 quake that struck midday Wednesday deeply impacted the
city of 16 million residents, leaving many inhabitants shaken and wary
of a possible more destructive tremor. There were no reports of serious
damage but the temblor, the strongest felt in Istanbul in recent years,
prompted widespread panic and scores of injuries.
The earthquake had a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles),
according to the U.S. Geological Survey, with the epicenter about 40
kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Istanbul, in the Sea of Marmara. It
was felt in several neighboring provinces.
At least 236 people were treated for injuries while trying to jump from
buildings or for panic attacks. Most of the injuries were in Istanbul,
where residents remain on edge because the city is considered at high
risk for a major quake.
Residents sought refuge by sleeping in their cars or setting up tents in
parks and other open spaces. Many lit camp fires to keep warm after the
temperature dipped.
More than 100,000 slept in mosques, schools, dormitories and
government-run community centers, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said
Thursday.
“We were very scared by the earthquake. Extremely scared. We weren’t
able to go back inside,” said Emriye Toklu, who spent the night with
members of her family inside a tent at a park near their home. “We’ll
probably stay here for a long while because my children, my
grandchildren won’t go back inside even though our home is close by.”
Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines, and earthquakes are
frequent.
For many, the memory of a devastating earthquake that struck 11 southern
and southeastern provinces two years ago, remains vivid.
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Locals rest in a public park following an earthquake shock with a
preliminary magnitude of 6.2, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, April
23, 2025. (Berkman Ulutin/Dia Photo via AP)
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6, 2023, claimed more than
53,000 lives and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of
buildings. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of
neighboring Syria.
The Turkish disaster and emergency management agency, AFAD, said
Wednesday’s earthquake was followed by 184 aftershocks — seven of them
of a magnitude 4 or stronger.
Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum
stated that authorities had received 378 reports of structural damage in
various buildings. At least 12 buildings had been evacuated as a
precautionary measure, he said.
Only one building — a derelict, long-abandoned structure in the city’s
historic Fatih district — collapsed.
Germany’s GFZ seismological research institute said the earthquake was
the strongest in the area in over 25 years and extended the fault zone
toward Istanbul.
The institute said the development presented two possibilities: either
the region could experience a temporary decrease in seismic activity, or
the stress caused by the earthquake could lead to a more destructive
tremor.
“The area beneath the Sea of Marmara south of Istanbul is the only area
of the entire plate boundary that hasn’t generated a strong earthquake
in over 250 years and is therefore overdue for an earthquake with a
magnitude of up to 7.4,” the seismology center said.
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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.
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