by Istanbul (AP) – A earthquake with a preliminary size of 6.2 Cook Istanbul and other areas on Wednesday, which prompted a widespread panic and a variety of injuries in the Turkish city with 16 million people, although there were no direct reports on serious damage.
More than 150 people were taken to the hospital with injuries when they tried to jump out of buildings, said the office of governor in Istanbul, where the residents are on tenterhooks because the city is high risk of great quake.
The earthquake had a flat depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles), as from the United States Geological Survey with its epicenter about 40 kilometers southwest of Istanbul in the sea of Marmara.
It was felt in the neighboring provinces of Tekirdag, Yalova, Bursa and Balikesir and in the city of Izmir for around 550 kilometers south of Istanbul. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the earthquake lasted 13 seconds and followed by more than 50 aftershocks – the strongest measurement of 5.9.
The quake started at 12:49 p.m. during a holiday when many children were not at school and celebrated in the streets of Istanbul. Panische residents stormed onto the street from their houses and buildings. The disaster and emergency management agency asked people to stay away from buildings.
More than 150 injured
“Due to the panic, 151 of our citizens were injured by the jump from the heights,” said the governor of Istanbul in an explanation. “Your treatments last in hospitals and are not in a life -threatening condition.”
Many residents flocked in parks, schoolyards and other open areas so as not to be near buildings in the event of a collapse or after subsequent earthquakes. Some people have recorded tents in parks.
“Thank God, there seems to be no problems for the time being,” said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at an event with national sovereignty and children’s day. “May God and our people protect against all kinds of disasters, disasters, accidents and problems.”
Leyla Ucar, a personal trainer, said she trained with her student on the 20th floor of a building when she trembled intensely.
“We shaken incredibly. It threw us around, we couldn’t understand what was happened, we didn’t think of an earthquake because of the shock of the event,” she said. “It was very scary.”
The 51 -year -old Senol Sari told the Associated Press that he was with his children in the living room of her apartment on the third floor when he heard a loud noise and the building began to tremble. They fled into a nearby park. “We immediately protected ourselves from the earthquake and waited for it to happen,” said Sari. “Of course we were afraid.”
They were able to go back home later, said Sari, but they are still concerned that a bigger quake will one day beat the city. It is “an expected earthquake, our concerns remain,” he said.
“My children were a little scared”
The 40 -year -old Cihan Boztepe was one of many who hastily fled the street with his family to avoid a potential collapse. Boztepe, who stood next to his sobbing child, said AP said that he lived in the province of Batman in 2023, an area near the southern part of Turkey, in which great quakes occurred at the time, and that the tremor was weaker on Wednesday and that he was not so anxious.
“At first we were shaken, then it stopped, then we were shaken again. My children were a little scared, but it wasn’t. We quickly collected our things and went to a safe place. If I were up to me, we would have already returned home.”
The Interior Minister of Türkiye, Ali Yerlikaya, said the authorities had not received any reports on collapsed buildings. He said Habberturk Television that there were reports on damage to buildings.
The NTV broadcaster reported that a dilapidated and abandoned former residential building had collapsed in the historic Fatih district in which the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque were housed.
Education Minister Yusuf Tekin announced that the schools would be closed in Istanbul on Thursday and Friday.
“In accordance with the need for a safe space, our school gardens are open to the use of all of our citizens,” said Tekin.
City reconstruction projects
Turkey is crossed by two main error lines and earthquakes are common.
An earthquake of the strength 7.8 on February 6, 2023 and a second mighty tremor hour destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 south and southeastern provinces and left more than 53,000 people.
Istanbul was not affected by this earthquake, but the devastation increased the fears of a similar quake, with experts quoting the proximity of the city into lines of fault.
In order to prevent damage caused by a future quake, the national government and local administrations in urban reconstruction projects began to strengthen risks and started campaigns to tear down buildings at the risk of collapse.
The detained mayor expresses sadness
Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, who was imprisoned last month for allegations of corruption, published an explanation by his lawyers and expressed his sadness that he was unable to be able to be with the residents of the city.
“As a manager and urban planner who devoted their lives of disaster -oriented planning in Istanbul and fought for this purpose, my greatest sadness is that we cannot be with them,” said the mayor.
Many consider the politician’s arrest, which is considered politically motivated as the key rival by Erdogan. The government insists that the courts operate independently.
On Wednesday, long queues formed, which have formed as residents at petrol stations and planned to leave Istanbul, to fill their vehicles. Among them was Emre Senkay, who said he could go later in the event of a heavier earthquake.
“My plan is to leave Istanbul when there is a more serious earthquake,” he said.
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Fraser reported from Ankara, Türkiye. Robert Badendieck contributed from Canaccal, Türkiye.
