Powerful earthquake shakes Istanbul, dozens hurt jumping from buildings
A 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook Istanbul on 23 April 2025 sending people rushing on to the streets. Many gathered in parks as aftershocks continued to be felt.
Photo:
AFP / Yasin Akgul
More than 150 people were injured when they jumped from buildings in Istanbul as one of the strongest quakes in years hit the city.
Many people gathered in parks and others sat on doorsteps, or stood outside their homes in the centre of Istanbul as aftershocks from the magnitude 6.2 quake on the European side of the city continued to be felt.
"It started with a big tremor all of a sudden and we felt it very strongly," said Istanbul resident Neslisah Aygoren, sitting in a park.
"I ran straight to my dog in fear, hugged it and we waited for it to end, lying on the ground. After that, we took our belongings and went straight to the street."
A total of 151 people were hurt and received hospital treatment after leaping from buildings in panic during the tremor but none were in a critical condition, the Istanbul governor's office said.
It said one abandoned building collapsed in central Istanbul, but nobody was hurt there, while there was no damage to energy or water infrastructure in the city of 16 million on the European and Asian shores of the Bosphorus Strait. Some shops closed.
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 epicentre of Wednesday's quake, which hit at 12.49pm (local time on Wednesday), was in the area of Silivri, some 80km to the west of Istanbul. It was at a depth of 6.92km, Turkey's AFAD disaster agency said.
Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said inspections did not reveal any damage to highways, airports, trains or subways.
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.
- Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
15 hours ago
- Scoop
Fear Of Confusion Sparks Name Rethink For Manutahi Park
Worries about a new Manutahi Park being mistaken for another Manutahi an hour's drive away has New Plymouth's council considering adding the name of a British Military Settler. The park is a planned green space in Lepperton village, about 15km from New Plymouth, on the site of a hall demolished three years ago. New Plymouth District Council asked mana whenua about a name for the park, and Manutahi was suggested by Puketapu hapū. Manutahi remembers the name of the Māori village where Lepperton now stands, as well as nearby Manutahi Pā which was built to defend against British invasion in the Taranaki Wars. The name - literally One Bird - references local bird-hunting forests and is supported by neighbouring Pukerangiora hapū. Manutahi is already widely familiar: it's the name of one of the two country roads intersecting in the village. But a council report said consultation found some locals worried that people would confuse the new park's location with an even smaller hamlet - also called Manutahi - 80 kilometres away between Hāwera and Pātea. "Generally, those who did not support the name felt that [Manutahi Park] did not reflect the Lepperton location and non-locals will not know where it is," staff reported. "The name 'Manutahi Park - Lepperton' is proposed to address this potential confusion." Although, perhaps confusingly, not necessarily as the official name. "The addition of Lepperton ... could either be a formally recognised part of the name or a component that is put in place as required to confirm the location, as opposed to formally recognised as part of the park name." Council policy is that reserves' names reflect history. "If there is a strong Māori cultural connection to a reserve, a Māori name should be considered in consultation with mana whenua. "Likewise, a strong European cultural connection to a reserve should result in an appropriate European name. "Where appropriate, both Māori and European names will be used." The report recognised the name might be disputed. "There is a risk that adding the location descriptor of Lepperton to the name could be seen as not needed by hapū and/or some of the community that were supportive of the proposed name." Lieutenant Colonel Maxwell Lepper was a British soldier with the 14th Regiment, redeployed from colonial duties in Ireland to fight Taranaki Māori in 1860. Retiring from the Empire's army, Lepper then commanded the Taranaki Military Settlers - volunteer troops who were rewarded with land taken from Māori in return for 'policing duties'. In 1865 the area was proclaimed confiscated and Manutahi declared a military settlement. Lepper was honoured with the town's name and the family thrived on that confiscated land, with many descendants also recognised on Lepperton's war memorial obelisk and as contributors to Lepperton School. Locals who spoke with Local Democracy Reporting said they were not confused about Manutahi. Out with the grandkids, Lindy Moratti said she didn't even know where the other Manutahi is. "I cannot see any issue with it, I would not think that would be a problem at all. "To me it's very, very clear and very obvious that it would be here." Speedway driver Sean Price didn't think Manutahi alone would confuse people, but was happy either way. "I'm on the fence really," he said. "Definitely you know where it is, if you say Lepperton - I mean, that confirms it. Lepperton would be bang on." Dave Trinder was delivering taonga pūoro, traditional musical instruments, to Lepperton School for a practice session with students. He deferred to hapū leaders with more knowledge, but neither he nor the kids helping with the taonga had any confusion about Manutahi. The naming decision goes before NPDC's iwi committee Te Huinga Taumatua on Tuesday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Explosion reported at US air base in Japan
Kadena Air Base (right) and US Air Station Futenma can be seen in an aerial view of central Okinawa Island. Photo: AFP / JINHEE LEE An explosion occurred at a Japanese military facility inside a US air base in Okinawa, officials told AFP, with local media reporting non-life-threatening injuries. A defence ministry spokesman said they had received reports of an explosion at the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) facility inside Kadena Air Base in the southern Japanese region. Jiji Press and other local media said four injuries had been reported but none were life-threatening. Public broadcaster NHK said, citing unnamed defence ministry sources, that the explosion may have occurred at a temporary storage site for unexploded bombs, with officials trying to confirm the situation. "We've heard there was an explosion at the SDF facility and also heard there were injuries but we don't have further details," Yuta Matsuda, a local official of Yomitan village in Okinawa, told AFP. - AFP
RNZ News
5 days ago
- RNZ News
BBC journalists held at gunpoint and strip-searched by Israeli military, broadcaster says
By Lewis Wiseman , ABC Israeli military vehicles deploy at Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip. Photo: AFP/JACK GUEZ A team of seven BBC journalists and staff claim to have been held at gunpoint, blindfolded and strip searched by the Israeli Defence Force in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The BBC said its crew, which included staff members and three freelancers, were stopped while filming at a checkpoint in Quneitra, inside the buffer zone between Israel and Syria. "BBC News Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani, along with three other BBC staff members and three freelance colleagues, were detained for seven hours and held at gunpoint by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)," a BBC statement said. "The team have described how they were tied up, blindfolded, strip searched, interrogated and threatened." BBC Arabic special correspondent Feras Kilani was a part of the crew and described his experience on the BBC website. He said minutes after starting to film at the checkpoint, four IDF soldiers "pointed their rifles at our heads and ordered us to place the camera on the side of the road." From there, he claimed he and his crew were escorted by the soldiers through a barrier and into the city of Quneitra where the soldiers reviewed the footage, all while keeping rifles aimed at their heads. An Israeli soldier walks near the United Nations Quneitra crossing between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syria on January 5, 2025. Photo: AFP/JALAA MAREY The BBC said electronic devices were taken from the team and material was deleted. After hours passed, Kelani said he was asked "why we were filming Israeli military positions" by a person not known to him on a phone call made by one of the soldiers. He said he was then separated from his team and told by a lead IDF officer that he had to comply with their instructions. The first of those demands, he claimed, was to remove all his clothes except for his underwear for a search. Kelani said soldiers "inspected even inside my underwear, both front and back, searched my clothes, then told me to put them back on and started interrogating me." After the interrogation, Kelani claimed he was led back outside where he saw "the horrific scene of my team members, tied up and blindfolded". He claimed he asked officers to release them, but they were each taken inside for a strip search and questioning. After seven hours of detention by the IDF, Kelani claimed he and his team were told if they approached the frontier from the Syrian side again there would be "worse consequences". He said the crew were then dropped two kilometres outside the city, given back their electronic devices and left to find their way back. The BBC has said it "strongly objects to the treatment of our staff and freelancers in this way." "Despite making clear to the soldiers on multiple occasions they were working for the BBC, the behaviour they were subjected to is wholly unacceptable," the BBC statement said. The broadcaster said it has registered a complaint with the Israeli military over the incident but has not had a response. The ABC has contacted the IDF for comment but has not yet received a response. - ABC
