Powerful earthquake of 6.2 magnitude shakes Istanbul
A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 shook Istanbul on Wednesday,
Turkey
's Afad disaster agency said, one of the strongest quakes to strike the city of 16 million in recent years.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but buildings were evacuated as the quake hit and shook the city, located on the European and Asian shores of the Bosphorus Strait. Many people gathered in parks and others sat on doorsteps, or stood outside their homes in the centre of Istanbul, as aftershocks continued to be felt. Some shops closed after the quake struck on the European side of the city.
The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 12.49pm (10.49am Irish time), was in the area of Silivri, about 80km to the west of Istanbul. It was at a depth of 6.92km, Afad said.
Transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said initial inspections did not reveal any damage or adverse conditions on highways, airports, trains or subways.
READ MORE
Broadcaster TGRT reported that one person had been injured as a result of jumping off a balcony during the quake, which occurred during a public holiday in Turkey.
The Istanbul governor's office said there had not been any reports of buildings collapsing and it called on people to remain calm and not approach buildings that may be damaged.
President
Tayyip Erdogan
said on X he was monitoring the situation and his office issued advice on what people should do in the case of further quakes.
Two years ago Turkey suffered the deadliest and most destructive earthquake in its modern history. That
7.8-magnitude quake
in February 2023 killed more than 55,000 people and injured more than 107,000 in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced, with many still living in temporary housing as a result of that quake.
The latest tremor also revived memories of a 1999 earthquake near Istanbul that killed 17,000. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the latest earthquake had a magnitude 6.02. It was at a depth of 10km, GFZ said. − Reuters
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
EU's tariff ‘hitlist' will hurt Ireland more than other member states, says lobby group Ibec
The EU's planned countermeasures against Donald Trump's proposed tariffs would have a 'disproportionate' impact on Ireland and Irish business, according to an analysis by Ibec.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Higher food prices for consumers are here to stay, says Agriculture Minister on trip to boost sales in Japan
Irish consumers have seen food prices rise more than 4pc in the past year, Central Statistics Office data showed in May. That's around three times faster than general consumer inflation. 'We historically had a long sustained period of very low food prices,' Mr Heydon said. 'Farmers will tell you that maybe those food prices were not matching the cost of production, and had put farmers in a very difficult space. We saw a significant increase in farmers' input costs, and the increase in the price of food didn't [initially] catch up. 'That has changed in more recent times, and I think the price of food and beverages is now more reflective of the cost of production, and I think it's unlikely to change.' He was speaking in Tokyo, where the minister and senior officials from the Department of Agriculture and Bord Bia are on a trade mission looking to expand Irish exports into the world's third largest economy. Mr Heydon had meetings with the Japanese ministers for agriculture and health. The minister said he was 'very mindful' of cost pressures and pointed to wider actions by Government, including Enterprise Minister Peter Burke, around competitiveness. However, his role as agriculture minister was to open the maximum number of opportunities and markets for Irish food and drink producers, to allow them to get the best possible return. Only 10pc of the food and drink we produce is consumed at home – 90pc is exported Food and agriculture represent 40pc of GDP in rural areas, Mr Heydon said. 'Only 10pc of the food and drink we produce is consumed at home – 90pc is exported. It is my job to make sure we get the best possible return for that.' Under a Japan-EU trade agreement that came into force in 2019, the Asian economy opened up to food imports in exchange for increased EU access for Japanese products, including cars and machinery. The deal means tariffs on imported Irish dairy and beef, once as high as 40pc, are being gradually eliminated. It was the first trade deal of its kind to include an explicit commitment to make a 'positive contribution' to combat climate change, creating an additional opportunity for eco-friendly products. Irish food sales to Japan have doubled since the 2019 trade agreement came into effect – though at just €168m last year, it remains a small fraction of Ireland's €19bn food exports. Cheese accounts for 34pc of Irish food sales in Japan, followed by pig meats (28pc), beef (14pc), fish (10pc) and beverages – including Irish whiskey (6pc). The market for butter remains restricted through non-tariff barriers, and full access for Irish poultry and cooked meats is under discussion. Despite its distance from Ireland, Japan represents a significant market opportunity and offers a strategic diversification away from dependence on the UK and US markets, Mr Heydon said. He said there is a pressing need to diversify with whiskey, due to the impact of US tariffs. The sector is now experiencing 'significant cash flow issues' following a decade of expansion and capital investment. Whiskey is a popular drink in Japan, with domestic producers and Scotch brands serving the market, offering an opportunity for Irish brands to expand. Japan is already the biggest importer of Irish beef tongue – accounting for around 70pc of the market. As the product is unpopular in Ireland and its immediate markets, this helps maximise the value per Irish beef carcass without adding to the number of animals slaughtered. Beef tongue is popular in Japan, sliced thin and grilled, and sold by restaurants including the Negishi chain of 49 outlets that serve 100,000 meals a week around Tokyo. There is also a market for premium steak cuts, with Ireland's leaner, grass-fed beef providing an alternative to the fat-rich wagyu style in which Japanese beef farms specialise. Local Japanese chefs say the leaner Irish alternative is finding a niche with younger, health-conscious consumers, helping overcome a perception that grass-fed beef is tough. The push from Ireland includes consumer goods. Keogh's Crisps has struck an agreement with a Japanese partner and is supplying a number of retailers, while Cashel Blue cheese has entered the market under its own branding. It's about developing relationships, building trust and respect Bord Bia CEO Jim O'Toole said Japan, along with South Korea, represented a significant opportunity for Irish producers but would take time to develop. Both countries have high levels of disposable income and neither is self-sufficient in food, so they are both often among the top five of global import markets. For Irish producers, understanding the market cultures and the mechanics of supply chains was vital. 'The business culture is specific and quite formal and Japanese buyers don't do things opportunistically,' Mr O'Toole said. 'It's about developing relationships, building trust and respect, and developing that for an enduring business.' He sees a market opportunity in fish, as Ireland is already shipping mackerel. 'To the point about the discerning quality demands of Japanese buyers, I know in some processing plants in Ireland, there will be a Japanese person watching to make sure that the specification is fulfilled,' he said. 'So this is not about quick wins. This is about painstaking detail.'
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: Department must respect decisions from ASTI
As a post-primary teacher, I am writing to express my concern regarding the accelerated timeline of the senior cycle redevelopment programme. I strongly urge education minister Helen McEntee to pause this acceleration and not to penalise ASTI members who have voted overwhelmingly (68% to 32%, 73% turnout) to reject the senior cycle redevelopment implementation support measures. In a separate ballot, ASTI members also voted 67% to 33% in favour of industrial action if necessary. This is a powerful signal of the profession's genuine and widespread concern. ASTI's position is based on well-researched and well-documented realities. Many schools, especially Deis and smaller rural schools, currently lack the capacity and resourcing to deliver such wide-ranging changes effectively. Teachers are being asked to take on significantly increased workload without adequate training, time, or infrastructure. The risks of insufficient authentication of additional assessment components (AACs), challenges around AI, and inequality of provision are very real and have not been sufficiently addressed. The department of education's press release outlines several measures, but these do not address the core issues raised by teachers. Moreover, the decision to accelerate this reform by a full year under Ms McEntee's predecessor has created deep mistrust. Teachers were not consulted on this change of pace, which is being imposed on a system already under strain. The current approach risks harming the very students it is meant to serve. Science, in particular, is already under-resourced in many schools, and introducing new specifications under these conditions will result in a postcode lottery of educational quality. The minister needs to: Respect the clear democratic decision of ASTI members; refrain from using the public service agreement to force through measures without consensus; and restore the original timeline to allow genuine consultation and proper preparation across all schools. The minister stated a commitment to supporting students, but sustainable reform cannot be achieved without bringing teachers along. Rushing ahead risks creating deeper divisions, damaging morale, and ultimately harming educational outcomes. I appeal to Ms McEntee to act with leadership and wisdom and pause the timeline, re-engage with teachers, and deliver a reform process that will truly serve students, teachers, and the wider system. Michael McGrath, St Augustine's College, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, Co Waterford Housewife column hits nail on head Jennifer Horgan's article 'Being a homemaker is hard, even harder when it's no longer valued' is an excellent and compelling piece of journalism. As a male clinician who, over the years, has heard countless women say that their roles are unappreciated, I am acutely aware of how challenging being a homemaker is. I totally get where Ms Horgan is coming from. I believe she is correct in saying: 'Irish society knowingly exploits women. We need their duties, but just can't mention them.' I do believe that, for many women, being a homemaker is thankless in that it's never-ending. It offers no salary and is a profession in which many women sacrifice just about everything in order to provide a home and upkeep for their families. With more women working outside the home, there is an increased demand for daycare and early pre-schools — which is very exacting and demanding. Fewer women today are able to stay at home and care for their children as a result of the high cost of living. However, there are some women who are still able to remain full-time homemakers — thus providing an atmosphere for their families that is seldom seen anymore. It is my contention that raising children and being a housewife is one of the hardest jobs for any one person. I find Ms Horgan's summation to be somewhat poignant and heartbreaking yet true when she says: 'As with every type of oppression women endure, we see but we don't see. Such is our way.' In response to the same, I would like to see society recognise the valuable contributions of our homemakers as their worth is essential for the wellbeing of families and communities. Homemakers provide the foundation for stable and loving homes, which are crucial for child development and overall societal wellbeing. John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Are we a nation of animal lovers? It's a peculiar fact that the first known attempt to legislate against animal cruelty anywhere in the world was here in Ireland. In 1635, a law was enacted to criminalise the practice of pulling wool off sheep (as distinct from shearing them) and the equally cruel custom of attaching ploughs to animals' tails. It has been argued that the law was motivated as much by a desire to raise revenue as by concern for the unfortunate animals, but it's still a milestone. It represented a first tentative step towards humane treatment of animals. And in the 19th century, Irish MP Richard Martin of Galway founded the world's first animal protection society, as well as campaigning against the 'sports' of bull-baiting and bear-baiting. With this remarkable record, it's all the more baffling and abhorrent that animal cruelty is so widespread in Ireland today. Abandoned horses can be found weekly, dead or dying of neglect or ill-treatment, in fields or on roadsides nationwide. An RTÉ report exposed the selling of unwanted racehorses that ended up in the EU food chain, and the merciless flogging of horses in an abattoir. Livestock raised on Irish farms are sent on long, stressful sea journeys, profit trumping any objections to their sad and lonely plight. Animal shelters are full to overflowing with dogs and cats, animals that once happily dwelt in homes, only to be ejected from the company of those they adored. We applaud when efforts are made to reintroduce a long absent species of wildlife, only to read a few weeks or months later that they've been blasted out of the sky or poisoned. Illegal poaching has worsened over the past five years, with farmers living in fear of hunters who trespass to kill wildlife. The badger, a shy nocturnal mammal, can end up being snared as part of the bovine TB eradication scheme, if it's lucky enough to have avoided the baiting gangs or the loss of habitat due to building projects. Even as State wildlife rangers struggle to contain poaching, a State licence facilitates the setting of dogs on our supposedly 'protected' native hares. Hare coursing is almost unknown outside Ireland. The countries that once permitted it have long since consigned it to oblivion, with the exception of Pakistan and Iberia. And we retain the quintessential British tradition of fox hunting, which Britain has outlawed, so that our wild dogs can still be chased to exhaustion and death for fun. Despite that promising start back in 1635, I'm afraid we can no longer consider ourselves a nation of animal lovers. To reclaim our humane status, we need to enforce existing anti-cruelty laws and end the savagery of hare coursing, fox hunting, and badger snaring. We can be a light to the world; instead of a hell on Earth for the voiceless. John Fitzgerald, Callan, Co Kilkenny Cork GAA must act to arrest downward spiral in football As a lifelong Cork GAA supporter, it is worrying to see the continuing downward spiral at all levels of Gaelic football. History was created recently with defeat to Kerry at U20 level for the fourth year in a row. Never before has this happened. The minor statistics are even worse. The senior team continues to flounder in Division 2 of the National Football League with little hope of promotion to Division 1. The standard of Cork club football is appalling. If we thought the late 1970s or early 1980s at inter-county level was bad, this is a new low masked by a couple of close encounters with the arch enemy, Kerry, in the last few years — not on Saturday, May 31, though. The question must be asked what if any kind of plans are in place to bring Cork football back to the top level where it should be for a county with the most football clubs in the country. Finally, let's hope the Cork senior hurlers finally reach the holy grail this year with Liam McCarthy Cup returning after a 20-year absence. Tom Harrington, Connaught Avenue, Cork
