There was a series of intense earthquakes that culminated in a 6.2 magnitude at 12:49 p.m. local time (09:49 GMT) hitting around Istanbul with a shallow depth of 6.92 km.
The most affected part of the country was Silivri, off the Sea of Marmara, at a distance of about 80 km west of the metropolis. People were seen on the streets running due to the shocks.
Despite no reported deaths or collapse of occupied buildings, 151 were injured, predominantly by falling from heights. In Fatih, a vacant building collapsed. Over 50 aftershocks occurred, leaving thousands sleeping outside overnight.
In populated areas such as Besiktas, some residents and students declined to go back indoors, fearing more tremors.
Koc University Professor Selva Demiralp found the quake to be highly alarming, especially where she was located in a tall building.
In spite of the coincidence with a public holiday, schools are to stay closed on both Thursday and Friday. Authorities have allocated public open spaces as safety areas to residents.
The quake sparked renewed fears that a bigger quake was possible, particularly with Istanbul just 20 km away from the unstable North Anatolian Fault.
Turkey is only just recovering from the catastrophic 2023 quakes that hit its south and took more than 5,000 lives.
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