Turkey has once again been struck by a strong earthquake. On Monday (October 20), at 10:48 p.m. local time (1:48 a.m. Bangladesh time), a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit near the Sindirgi town in the western Balikesir province.
According to the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), citing the national earthquake monitoring agency, the quake’s epicenter was located just 5.99 kilometers below the surface.
The tremor was felt across several provinces, including Istanbul, Bursa, Manisa, and Izmir. Preliminary reports from AFAD indicate that several houses in Sindirgi were damaged, though no casualties or injuries have been reported so far.
Earlier in August, another 6.1 magnitude earthquake had struck the same region, with smaller aftershocks continuing in Balikesir since then, according to local authorities.
Turkey lies on a major tectonic fault line, making earthquakes a common natural disaster in the country. In 2023, a devastating 7.8 magnitude quake in the southern and southeastern regions of Turkey killed more than 53,000 people and destroyed thousands of buildings. In neighboring Syria, at least 6,000 people also lost their lives in that disaster.
Source: AFP