A powerful earthquake has struck Balıkesir, northwestern Turkey, causing the death of at least one elderly person and 29 injuries as several buildings collapsed.
The quake, measuring 6.1 magnitude, occurred at 7.53 pm local time (GMT+3) local time with its epicenter in the Sındırgı district, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). The tremor was felt across nearby provinces, including İstanbul, İzmir, Manisa and Bursa.
Sındırgı Mayor Serkan Sak reported that “more than 10 buildings have collapsed,” adding that communication with some areas remains disrupted. The state-run Anadolu Agency confirmed that several people were rescued from the rubble.
Providing an update later, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who visited Balıkesir, said a total of 16 buildings, including four abandoned ones, collapsed in the quake. Search and rescue operations have concluded, he announced.
Prof. Süha Bekler from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University told AA that the earthquake took place on the northwestern end of the Simav Fault and was capable of causing light to moderate damage. “Many settlements in the area are located on alluvial ground. This caused the quake to be felt over an area of 200–300 square kilometers,” he said.
Bekler added that aftershocks are already decreasing in magnitude and are expected to return to normal within a few days. However, rural structures lacking proper engineering services remain at risk.
Prof. Süha Özden, head of the same university's Geological Engineering Department, noted that this fault has produced major earthquakes in the past, including a magnitude 7.0 in 1970 and a 5.9 in 2011. “After the 2011 quake, seismic activity in the region did not fully cease; aftershocks continued,” Özden said.
He added that there had been a rise in quakes of magnitude 2 and 3 in the past week. “This is a quake that can be considered normal for this fault system.”
(VK)
