site.btaUPDATED 6.1 Earthquake Recorded in Western Turkiye

An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale was recorded in Western Turkiye, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) , while local media reported that it was felt in several regions, Reuters reported.

AFAD said the earthquake struck at around 7:53 pm local time in the province of Balikesir, near Turkiye's largest city, Istanbul, but there was no information on casualties or damage.

AFAD said the earthquake had a depth of 11 kilometres, while the German Research Centre for Geosciences recorded a magnitude of 6.19 and a depth of 10 kilometres.

The earthquake was felt across almost all of Bulgaria, Tihomir Iliev, a seismologist on duty at the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy, and Geography at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, told BTA. It was especially evident in Southern Bulgaria: Plovdiv, Haskovo, Dimitrovgrad, Blagoevgrad, Pazardzhik, Kardzhali, as well as along the coast in Burgas and Varna, on the upper floors of buildings in Sofia, as well as in the north  in Ruse and in central Bulgaria  in Gorna Oryahovitsa.The system also registered aftershocks, which, however, could not be felt by people, the seismologist said. He assured that there was nothing alarming in the data from the earthquake in Turkiye that could affect seismic activity in Bulgaria.

Four people have been injured and at least 10 buildings have collapsed in the earthquake in the Balikesir, said Turkish Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu later on Sunday evening.

The Kandilli Observatory reported that the main quake in the Balikesir area was followed by three aftershocks measuring 4.6, 4.1, and 4.0.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “the necessary measures are being taken,” TRT Haber reported. 

Transport and Communications Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu told Turkish television that there were no problems with transport and communications at this stage.

However, in the Balikesir, Bursa, and Canakkale areas, fear remains and many people are expected to spend the night outdoors. Local authorities have warned against entering buildings damaged by the quake.

Turkish media reported that Google's Earthquake Early Warning System for Android provided users with a 30-second advance warning of the 6.1-magnitude earthquake in Balikesir, giving them critical time to escape. This success demonstrates the impact of improvements made after the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, TV5 reported.