Istanbul (TDI): A powerful earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hit the Capital city of Türkiye, Istanbul, on Wednesday noon, injuring 151 people.
The initial earthquake struck Istanbul at 12:49 PM at a depth of 6.92 km under the sea of Marmara, according to Türkiye’s AFAD disaster management agency. At least 151 people were reported injured due to jumping from high buildings.
No deaths or major structural damage were reported. However, a few buildings, including an abandoned building in the Fatih district on the European side of the city, were damaged.
Istanbul, Türkiye’s most populous city and home to nearly 16 million people, lies 20 km to the north of the North Anatolian Fault Line, making it prone to earthquakes.
Bugün Marmara Denizi’nde meydana gelen ve İstanbul ile birlikte çevre illerimizde de hissedilen 6,2 büyüklüğündeki depremden etkilenen tüm vatandaşlarımıza geçmiş olsun dileklerimi iletiyorum.
Depremden hemen sonra başlayan mesaimiz kapsamında biraz evvel AFAD İstanbul İl Afet… pic.twitter.com/EhZqoR2MXG
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) April 23, 2025
The Interior Minister of Türkiye, Minister Ali Yerlikaya, said on X, “An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in Silivri, Sea of Marmara, Istanbul,” followed by eight more earthquakes with the magnitude between 3.5 to 5.9.
As the buildings began to shake, people rushed out onto the streets. Crowds of panicked people began to check their phones for information about the earthquake or made calls to check on their loved ones.
According to the AFAD disaster management agency, 50 aftershocks have been recorded since the main earthquake. Residents of Istanbul stated that it was one of the strongest earthquakes they had felt in years, with many fearing a much bigger earthquake.
Many people gathered to spend the evening outdoors in the streets of Besiktas. Selim Ustaoglu, a student from the area, stated that he grabbed a few essentials and left his residence to spend the night outdoors. “I’m staying here tonight,” he said.
An economics Professor at KOC University, Selva Demiralp, said that she was with her family in a multi-story building when the earthquake struck the city, and it was “quite scary.”
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He further stated that although there was no visible damage to the building, people were afraid that the earthquake was a “foreshock itself” and the “real one is on its way.”
Another student, Zeynep Akincioglu, said that he didn’t feel he could spend the night in his family home under the threat of more shocks. He said, “I don’t feel safe going back inside, our building doesn’t look strong.”
The Education Minister, Yusuf Tekin, said that schools and colleges were closed on Wednesday due to a public holiday, and would remain closed on Thursday and Friday.
In 2023, Southern Türkiye was affected by two giant earthquakes, which resulted in the deaths of more than 55,000 people. The memory still lingers and was brought back by yesterday’s quake.
Javaria Khalid is a Web Contributor at The Diplomatic Insight Magazine. She specializes in covering geopolitical developments, international relations, diplomatic, and socio-economic developments in Europe and Pakistan.
