6.2 magnitude earthquake rocks Istanbul

A series of earthquakes including a 6.2-magnitude tremor have struck near Istanbul, shaking buildings in Turkey’s largest city and prompting people to flee apartment blocks.

There have been no immediate reports of casualties or wider damage, but Istanbul officials said they were checking buildings and warned people to stay clear of potentially-damaged sites.

The largest earthquake on Wednesday struck at 12:49 local time (09:49 GMT) at a depth of 6.92 km (4.3 miles), Turkey’s emergency services said.

The epicentre of the 6.2-magnitude tremor was located along the coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the Silivri area about 80 km (50 miles) west of Istanbul.

Turkish officials reported two other smaller quakes, while aftershocks were also recorded.

Istanbul residents reported bigger earthquake was one of the strongest they had felt in years.

People reported lamps and other furniture crashing to the floor in their homes.

Selva Demiralp, an economics professor at Koç University, told the BBC she was with her family in a high-rise when the earthquake struck and it was “quite scary”.

“Somehow, in the midst of the earthquake, we felt a deep sense of comfort—because the whole family was together,” she said.

“We are safe, it looks there was no damage in buildings,” she said. But she added that people were nervous about whether the quake “was a foreshock itself” and the “real one is on its way”.

Southern Turkey was devastated by two giant earthquakes in 2023, which claimed more than 55,000 lives.

Istanbul is Turkey’s most populous city and home to 16 million people – a fifth of the country’s residents. The city lies just 20km to the north of the North Anatolian Fault Line.

Additional reporting by Mallory Moench