6.1 earthquake hits Turkey’s Balikesir province, killing 1 and collapsing buildings

ISTANBUL — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Turkey’s northwestern province of Balikesir on Sunday, killing at the very least one individual and inflicting greater than a dozen buildings to break down, officers mentioned. A minimum of 29 individuals had been injured.

The earthquake, with an epicenter within the city of Sindirgi, despatched shocks that had been felt some 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the north in Istanbul – a metropolis of greater than 16 million individuals.

An aged lady died shortly after being pulled out alive from the particles of a collapsed constructing in Sindirgi, Inside Minister Ali Yerlikaya instructed reporters. 4 different individuals had been rescued from the constructing.

Yerlikaya mentioned a complete of 16 buildings collapsed within the area – most of them derelict and unused. Two mosque minarets additionally tumbled down, he mentioned.

Not one of the injured had been in severe situation, the minister mentioned.

Tv footage confirmed rescue groups asking for silence to allow them to pay attention for indicators of life beneath the rubble.

Turkey’s Catastrophe and Emergency Administration Company mentioned the earthquake was adopted by a number of aftershocks, together with one measuring 4.6, and urged residents to not enter broken buildings.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued an announcement wishing all affected residents a speedy restoration.

“Might God defend our nation from any sort of catastrophe,” he wrote on X.

Turkey sits on high of main fault traces and earthquakes are frequent.

In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed greater than 53,000 individuals in Turkey and destroyed or broken lots of of 1000’s of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces. One other 6,000 individuals had been killed within the northern elements of neighboring Syria.