A powerful earthquake struck western Turkey on Monday night, causing several already damaged buildings to collapse but leaving no immediate reports of fatalities, officials said.
The 6.1-magnitude quake was centred in the town of Sindirgi in Balikesir province, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). It struck at 10:48pm local time (1948 GMT) at a depth of nearly six kilometres.
Tremors were felt in Istanbul and nearby provinces including Bursa, Manisa and Izmir, reports AP.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said three unoccupied buildings and a two-storey shop collapsed in Sindirgi. All the structures had been previously weakened by an earlier earthquake.
Balikesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said at least 22 people were injured, mostly due to panic-related falls during the tremor.
Local media reported that many residents remained outdoors, fearing further shocks. As rain began to fall, authorities opened mosques, schools and sports halls to provide shelter for those unwilling to return home.
Sindirgi was hit in August by another 6.1-magnitude quake that killed one person and injured dozens. The area around Balikesir has since experienced several smaller aftershocks.
Turkey, which lies on several active fault lines, frequently experiences earthquakes. In 2023, a devastating 7.8-magnitude quake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings across 11 provinces, while over 6,000 deaths were reported in neighbouring Syria.
