2 yıl önce

Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes northwestern Türkiye

The quake was centred in Duzce province, the country's disaster management agency says, with tremors felt in Istanbul, Ankara and other regions.

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The quake occurred at a depth of 6.81 kilometres.

A strong earthquake has jolted Türkiye’s northwestern Duzce province early, leaving at least 90 people injured, including one in critical condition, according to the country's disaster agency.

Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said a 5.9 magnitude earthquake centred in the Golyaka district struck Duzce at 4:08 a.m. (01:08GMT) on Wednesday. The quake occurred at a depth of 6.81 kilometres.

Twenty-three people are receiving treatment at hospitals, AFAD said in a statement.

“Apart from a severely injured patient, the general condition of our citizens is good, they do not have any serious problems,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca previously told reporters in the capital Ankara.

He said a 28-year-old Afghan national is in serious condition as he suffered a brain haemorrhage after falling from the first floor during the earthquake.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, who arrived in Duzce immediately after the tremor, said there are no fatalities.

No severe damage

It was also felt in Istanbul and other provinces, including northwestern Bolu, Sakarya, Kocaeli, Bursa, Bilecik, and western Izmir and Kutahya provinces, as well as the capital Ankara.

Following the quake, 180 aftershocks were recorded. Power cuts are being imposed in the region as a precautionary measure, AFAD said.

"We almost completed our checks in the villages around Golyaka. There is no severe damage reported; only some barns were wrecked in these places ... There was a power cut during the quake but authorities are reinstating power now," Soylu said on broadcaster TRT Haber.

"Field scanning continues," AFAD president Yunus Sezer said.

Videos show the impact of a magnitude 5.9 earthquake that has struck Türkiye’s northwestern Duzce province.

Tremors were felt in neighbouring cities, including Istanbul and Ankara pic.twitter.com/xZeAfJTYwz
— TRT World (@trtworld) November 23, 2022

Duzce Governor Cevdet Atay announced that schools will be closed on Wednesday. Sakarya and Bolu provinces also made similar announcements.

The quake struck 10 days after the country held nationwide earthquake drills to mark the 23rd anniversary of the tragic 1999 earthquake in the same province which killed 710 people.

A magnitude-6.8 quake hit Elazig in January 2020, killing more than 40 people.

Türkiye sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes.