Locals And Tourists Flee As Huge 6.2 Magnitude Quake Hits Turkey

Locals And Tourists Flee

OpenLife Nigeria reports that a huge earthquake has struck a popular tourist destination for Brits as “terrified” locals were seen fleeing for safety.

The magnitude 6.2 tremor has shaken Istanbul, Turkey’s emergency management agency confirmed.
Buildings shook and tourists and locals alike were seen visibly distressed by the quake in alarming footage posted online.

A news anchor could be seen looking frightened as the studio of CNN Turkey rocked live on air during the earthquake.

One local said the “terrifying” quake has triggered a number of aftershocks, writing on X: “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.”

“Just felt my building shake for like 30 seconds. Earthquake in Istanbul. I’m on the 17th floor”, said another horrified resident.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.2 and a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, according to the United States Geological Survey.

One eyewitness added: “Earthquake struck Istanbul today at 12:40pm, I was in Hotel Istanbul 5th Floor. Building was dancing for some seconds.” One startled resident said: “Just experienced an earthquake in Istanbul, luckily we are ok but that sh*t was scary asf.”

Its epicentre was some 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. It was felt in several neighbouring regions. There are no reported injuries at this time.

The quake struck at 12:49 p.m. during a public holiday when many children were out of school and celebrating in the streets. The quake forced authorities in Istanbul to cancel the events.

Chefs were also spotted making calls to their family and friends after evacuating their workplace.

‘No serious cases’ but buildings ‘at risk’

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said there were no “serious cases” in the earthquake in a statement made on its social media accounts.

Kemal Cebi, the mayor of Kucukcekmece district in western Istanbul, told local broadcaster NTV that there were “no negative developments yet” but he reported that there were traffic jams and that many buildings were already at risk due to the density of the area.

One tourist was in Hotel Istanbul when their building started to shake.
One user said: “Earthquake struck Istanbul today at 12:40pm, I was in Hotel Istanbul 5th Floor. Building was dancing for some seconds.”

One terrified resident, who was on the 17th floor, took to social media to say they felt their floor shake after the earthquake.

“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.