April 23, 13:43 – Istanbul has been struck by a number of earthquakes in the last hour, the strongest being 6.2 on the Richter scale at 12:48 local time, but was preceded by a 3.9 magnitude tremor at 12:13.

The epicentre of the quakes was in the Sea of ​​Marmara, the waterway connecting the Mediterranean with the Black Sea and around 23 km south of Silivri, an outer suburb of Istanbul.

There have been six aftershocks so far, the strongest of 5.3 magnitude.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Agency urged residents to stay away from buildings that might be damaged following the earthquakes and not to drive or use their phones unless absolutely necessary. Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city and home to 16 million people.

14:30 – There have been no reports of serious damage or injuries so far.

Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent. The last devastating earthquake was of magnitude 7.8 that hit southern Turkey on Feb. 6, 2023, followed by a second powerful tremor hours later. The earthquake destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces, leaving more than 53,000 people dead.

Seismologists from around the world have been warning that a major earthquake in the area of Istanbul is imminent due to the stress that has been building in the North Anatolian Fault, which runs next to the city.

Naci Görür, one of Turkey’s expert seismologists, stated that today’s main earthquake is “not the big earthquake we expect, that is likely to be of magnitude 7 or above, but it all adds to the stress on the region’s faults and makes them more likely to break”.

Turkey’s Environment Minister, Murat Kurum, stated recently that one in every five houses in Istanbul, almost 1.5 million, are considered structurally unstable and at risk.

18:00 – Reports state that around 150 people have been injured, mainly from fleeing buildings in panic. There have been 51 aftershocks this afternoon, leading to many in Istanbul deciding to camp overnight in open spaces, such is the fear that the main earthquake is yet to come. Authorities have confirmed that schools will be closed for two days.