Strong magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes northwestern Türkiye

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck northwestern Türkiye, causing strong shaking near the epicenter and being felt as far away as Istanbul, according to preliminary reports.

The quake occurred at 10:48 p.m. local time on Monday at a depth of about 6 kilometers (4 miles), the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported.

Its epicenter was located in Balıkesir Province, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the town of Sındırgı and 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the provincial capital, Balıkesir.

Residents near the epicenter reported intense shaking. “I felt the earthquake in a rotational motion, it was really strong,” a resident from the city of Soma told the EMSC. The agency also received dozens of felt reports from as far away as Istanbul.

Earthquakes with similar characteristics have caused significant damage in Türkiye in the past. However, there have been no official reports of casualties or major structural damage so far.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Türkiye lies in one of the most seismically active regions in the Mediterranean due to the ongoing collision between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. This convergence has created complex fault systems.

In February 2023, a series of powerful earthquakes struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria, beginning with a magnitude 7.8 quake near Gaziantep followed by a 7.5 aftershock hours later. The disaster devastated large areas across both countries, destroying tens of thousands of buildings and killing more than 55,000 people.