Powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake hits Istanbul... citizens flee shaking buildings and terrified news presenter clings on during live broadcast
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 has hit Istanbul and the surrounding regions, one of the strongest to strike the city of 16 million in recent years.
Buildings shook and crowds fled down busy streets as a quake in the Sea of Marmara rocked the major Turkish city and nearby communities.
Footage showed people running down a busy street to safety. The initial tremor reportedly lasted 30 seconds, before as many as 51 aftershocks hit.
Shock shaking: Residents fled from tremoring buildings as Istanbul was hit by a string of quakes
More than 150 people were injured when they jumped from buildings during the quake, which occurred during a public holiday in Turkey.
A news reporter filming a live broadcast for CNN Turkey gripped on to her desk as the earthquake was felt in Istanbul offices.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but people evacuated buildings as the quake hit and shook the city.
People reported to have felt the quake as far away as Greece, North Macedonia, Romania and Bulgaria, with lower intensity. AFP journalists in Sofia, Bulgaria, said they had felt tremors.
The German Helmholtz Centre For Geosciences (GFZ) reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.02 and was at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles).
The epicenter was just off the Silivri, a coastal area known for its seismic activity some 50 miles to the west of Istanbul.
It was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 5.3. The disaster and emergency management agency urged residents to stay away from buildings.
Turkey's disaster agency reported three more quakes, all in Istanbul's Buyukcekmece district.
Turkey's Disaster And Emergency Management Presidency had already reported that the 6.2 quake was preceded by a 3.9 magnitude tremor, and succeeded by a 4.4 magnitude quake in Buyukcekmece district.
Later, the interior minister reported that 51 aftershocks had been recorded following the 6.2 quake.
Sandra D'Souza, holidaying in Istanbul from London, said she and her husband were near the famous Galata Tower when the quake struck.
They were having lunch in a local coffee shop 'when we felt the tremor and the building started to shake and sway'.
'Everyone started looking and one another. Thankfully, it only lasted a short while and everyone resumed business as usual.
'There were far more people out in the street after as we were told there could be aftershocks.'
'I just felt earthquake, I've got to get out,' said a shaken-looking decorator rushing out of a fourth-floor apartment where he was working near the city's Galata Tower.
Turkey's AFAD disaster agency warned people in the region against entering damaged buildings.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said there were no 'serious cases' in the earthquake in a statement made on its social media accounts.
Kemal Cebi, the mayor of Kucukcekmece district in western Istanbul, told local broadcaster NTV that there were 'no negative developments yet' but he reported that there were traffic jams and that many buildings were already at risk due to the density of the area.
'Until now, we have no information about any buildings collapsing,' the governor's office said, urging people to avoid any structures that might have been damaged in the tremors.
Video showed large waves rolling in the Bosphorus as the quakes first struck.
Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent.
The country was devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2023, which killed more than 50,000 people and leveled tens of thousands of buildings in eastern Turkey and Syria.
Hundreds of construction contractors were placed under investigation as it emerged the disaster's impact may have been exacerbated by widespread unsafe building practices.
The latest tremor also revived memories of a 1999 earthquake near Istanbul that killed 17,000.
Environment Minister Murat Kurum in February renewed his warning about a massive earthquake poised to strike Istanbul by 2030.
Experts believe the tremor could topple as many as 600,000 houses and affect millions in the country's largest city.
They calculated a 65 per cent probability that a quake with magnitude 7 or higher could occur before 2030 in the region including Istanbul.
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