Earthquake of magnitude 6.1 hits Turkey, killing one

Istanbul: A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Sindirgi in western Turkey’s Balikesir province on Sunday, August 10, killing one person and injuring 29 others.

According to the country’s disaster management agency, AFAD, the tremor occurred at 7:53pm local time and was felt across several provinces, including Istanbul and Izmir. Istanbul an. AFAD confirmed on X that there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in the affected areas.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement on X that 16 buildings, mostly abandoned, collapsed along with two mosque minarets. An elderly woman rescued from the rubble later died, while four others were pulled out alive. None of the injured are in critical condition.

Rescue teams were deployed immediately to assess damage and search for survivors.

Videos shared by Turkish media show collapsed houses in parts of Balikesir and moments of panic among residents in Izmir as the ground shook.

Watch the videos here

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed condolences and wished the injured a swift recovery. “May God protect our country from any kind of disaster,” he posted on X.

Turkey lies on major fault lines and is prone to frequent earthquakes. In February 2023, a magnitude 7.8 quake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and a further 6,000 in neighbouring Syria.

Note: This headline and article have been updated to include confirmation of one fatality. Additional details and figures have been added from the Associated Press.