A huge 6.2 magnitude earthquake has struck a tourist-packed city in Turkey, with terrified locals and travellers fleeing shaking buildings and sprinting into the street to safety. The quake hit near Istanbul, and was centered in the Sea of Marmara, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said.
“Just felt my building shake for like 30 seconds. Earthquake in Istanbul. I’m on the 17th floor”, said one terrified resident. According to Turkey’s emergency management agency, the epicentre was just off the Silivri, a coastal area known for its seismic activity. In footage posted to X, panicked crowds were seen sprinting out of buildings along a busy street in the city centre and calling their loved-ones as an alarm blared in the background. One person said the “terrifying” quake triggered a number of aftershocks.
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Posting to X, the witness said: “It was the strongest I’ve ever felt and honestly it was terrifying. Even now there are still small aftershocks. Things keep shaking every now and then. Stay safe everyone.”
Sandra D’Souza, a tourist from London, said she was having lunch near the Galata Tower with her husband when the quake hit. She told MailOnline: “When we felt the tremor and the building started to shake and sway.
“Everyone started looking and one another. Thankfully it only lasted a short while and everyone resumed business as usual There were far more people out in the street after however as we were told there could be aftershocks.”
One person raced to social media after the impact, writing on X: “Earthquake struck Istanbul today at 12:40pm. I was in Hotel Istanbul 5th Floor. Building was dancing for some seconds.” Another startled resident said: “Just experienced an earthquake in Istanbul, luckily we are ok but that sh*t was scary asf.”
The GFZ reported a 6.02 magnitude earthquake at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles), which hit the area shortly after 12:30pm. It is one of the strongest to strike the city of 16 million people in recent years.
In another harrowing clip, a journalist filming a live broadcast for CNN Turkey was violently shook at her Istanbul studio, forcing her to pause her news report and talk the audience through what was happening as she gripped onto her desk. No major damage has been reported so far, but Turkey’s AFAD disaster agency has urged those in the region to avoid entering impacted buildings – which may still be at risk.
The Governorship of Istanbul said in a statement: “(Earthquake) No reports of destruction have been received as of now, and our relevant units are continuing their field scanning. We kindly ask our citizens to remain calm and avoid approaching buildings that may have been damaged.”
Resident Selin Tüter was at work in an office building on the European side of Istanbul when the earthquake struck. She told the BBC she was suddenly sent off balance and then heard a deep rumble, “as if something was punching from underneath”.
“When that happened, a lot of people panicked. A lot of people started making a run for it,” she said. Ms Tüter explained that many people in Istanbul are wary of earthquakes after the massive tremors that killed 55,000 people in Turkey and Syria in 2023.
In 2023, Istanbul was the most visited city in the world by international travellers, welcoming 20.2 million visitors. This figure surpasses London and Dubai, making it the top destination globally. Last year, Euromonitor International ranked it the second most visited city, with 23 million visitors.
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