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The earthquake, with an epicenter in the town of Sindirgi, sent
shocks that were felt some 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the
north in Istanbul - a city of more than 16 million people.
An elderly woman died shortly after being pulled out alive from
the debris of a collapsed building in Sindirgi, Interior
Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters. Four other people were
rescued from the building.
Yerlikaya said a total of 16 buildings collapsed in the region -
most of them derelict and unused. Two mosque minarets also
tumbled down, he said.
None of the injured were in serious condition, the minister
said.
Television footage showed rescue teams asking for silence so
they can listen for signs of life beneath the rubble.
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency said the
earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, including one
measuring 4.6, and urged citizens not to enter damaged
buildings.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement wishing all
affected citizens a speedy recovery.
"May God protect our country from any kind of disaster,” he
wrote on X.
Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and earthquakes are
frequent.
In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000
people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands
of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces. Another
6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighboring
Syria.
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