A strong quake rattled northern Turkey early Wednesday, startling local people in an area that has been hit by quakes in the past.
The tremors were felt as far as Izmir, Istanbul, and Ankara after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit Golkaya in the western Dulcze province, 160 kilometres east of Istanbul, the country’s disaster and emergency presidency said.
The quake occurred at 4am local time just after sunrise.
No deaths were reported immediately, said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.
Due to safety concerns, the Dulcze region has been cut off from power, the provincial governor said.
More than 20 people were injured fleeing buildings and jumping off balconies in panic, the governor of nearby Bolu said, according to state outlet TRT Haber.
An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck central Japan early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Dozens of aftershocks were recorded in the hours after the main quake.
The Turkish Red Crescent said it is assisting residents who do not wish to return home to sleep. Police said that teams had been sent to the site and that security measures had been taken to prevent any ‘possible security incidents.’
Earthquakes are common in Turkey. An earthquake in Elazig in January 2020 killed over 40 people. In the same year, an earthquake in the Aegean Sea killed over 100 people and injured over 1,000 more, a tragedy that affected both Turkey and its neighbouring country, Greece.
More than 17,000 people were killed in Izmit in 1999 after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake.
