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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale that shook Istanbul this afternoon caused panic and fear among residents of the largest city with 18 million inhabitants.
It is characteristic that many other tremors with magnitudes above 5 on the Richter scale followed and were like "stay out of buildings" warnings.
Although there has been no material damage or casualties from the seismic tremors so far, everyone's concern in Turkey is evident, with residents standing in squares and parks across Istanbul, fearing warnings of an earthquake of up to 7 on the Richter scale.
As seismologists previously reported, the first earthquake in Silivria, in the Sea of Marmara, was shallow, with a focal depth of 16 km and a magnitude of 3.9 on the Richter scale.
It was then clarified that at around 1:00 PM, there was a second very strong earthquake in Istanbul, with a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake was also felt in Alexandroupoli – which is approximately 300 kilometers from Istanbul – and in other areas of Northern Greece.
At least 40 earthquakes in the last three hours
According to the latest information, there was a third earthquake with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale, as well as a fourth with a magnitude of 4.5, followed by a fifth earthquake with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale. In total, earthquakes between 2 and 5 on the Richter scale that occurred in the region of Turkey reached 40 by 15:00.
Panic and fear prevail.
Thousands of people took to the streets, according to the French news agency (AFP). Turkish television TGRT reported that one person was injured after jumping from a balcony at the moment of the earthquake.
In central Istanbul, many people gathered in parks. Some shops were closed after the earthquake shook the European side of the city.
"We are closely monitoring developments," Erdogan says
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was "closely monitoring developments." Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu stressed that initial inspections showed no damage or problems on highways, airports or railways.
"I extend my best wishes for a speedy recovery to our citizens, we are closely monitoring developments," the Turkish president said.
"All emergency services are on standby. No building has collapsed, according to the information we have at this stage. We are continuing our investigations," the Istanbul governor's office announced, urging citizens to "stay away from damaged buildings."
#SONDAKİKA Deprem anı boğazda böyül ızızlendi: #deprem #silivri #Avcılar #Marmara pic.twitter.com/QKJQmCh8B8
— Yeni Journal (@yenijournal) April 23, 2025
The municipality also stressed that it is monitoring the situation, clarifying that no serious damage has been reported so far.
According to the head of OASP and professor of Geology, Efthimios Lekkas, the 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Istanbul could cause several phenomena.
"It is possible that earthquakes cause some phenomena, we need to see if it is the main earthquake or a foreshock," he emphasized to SKAI.
Immediately after the wave of strong seismic tremors in Istanbul, seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos commented:
Strong earthquake with magnitude M=6.2 struck the Sea of Marmara at 12:49. The area has very high seismicity with large active faults in the underwater and terrestrial environments. Aftershocks have been recorded, two with magnitude M=5.0.
What do the experts say?
Turkish earthquake expert Professor Ziyadin Çakır said the quake was not in the area where a major earthquake was expected, but the quake that occurred on the main fault increased the intensity. “The earthquake occurred about 30 kilometers away from the area where the major earthquake was expected,” Çakır said.
Seismology professor Zafer Akçığ said for his part that "the earthquake was also felt in Izmir. It is important where the energy will be transferred from here on. Now, whether it will go towards Istanbul or not, seismologists will work. It will be examined using satellite data."
The Mw 6.2 #earthquake in Western Turkey occurred in the #Marmara Sea at a depth of 12 km. The region can produce M 7.0 - 7.6 earthquakes, like in 1509 Ms 7.2 to the East and in 1766 Mw 7.6 to the West of this location. Today's earthquake is strong and aftershocks are possible. pic.twitter.com/FfyTa6mGkZ
— Frank Hoogerbeets (@hogrbe) April 23, 2025
Seismologists had warned
Last December, geology professor Naci Görü warned that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake that had occurred at the time would affect the Marmara fault, possibly causing a major earthquake in the future.
"This earthquake will more or less affect the part of the fault that is expected to rupture in Marmara," he said.
What has the leading Turkish professor Görür said so far?
Geology professor Naci Görür has repeatedly stated that an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale is expected - he has even predicted that its maximum could reach 7.6R - in Istanbul and has announced the danger zones. Stating that "these closed cracks will burst one day", Görür was particularly alarmist: "The most well-known data is that the probability of an earthquake occurring within 30 years, at any time after 1999, is 47%. "This is an abnormal possibility." / Adapt Pamphlet /
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