Magnitude 5.1 quake hits sea south of Istanbul

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck just south of Istanbul on Monday, rattling parts of Turkey’s largest city but causing no immediate injuries or damage.

The earthquake’s epicentre was in the Marmara Sea’s Gemlik Bay, which lies about 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Istanbul, near the city of Bursa, according to the AFAD emergencies service.

AFP reporters felt walls shake on both the Asian and European sides of Istanbul, with television images showing people walking out on the street for safety.

Turkey’s most populated city is situated near the North Anatolian Fault, one of the most active in the world.

A 7.6-magnitude earthquake with an epicentre on the city’s eastern outskirts killed more than 17,000 people in 1999.

The number of Istanbulites has roughly doubled since then, to 16 million people.

Two major earthquakes claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people in southeastern Turkey in February, damaging or destroying tens of thousands of buildings across several cities.

AFP

 

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