A 6.1-magnitude earthquake has struck northwest Turkey, killing at least one person and causing more than a dozen buildings to collapse.
At least 29 people were injured when the quake hit Balikesir province at around 7.53pm (5.53pm UK time) on Sunday.
It was powerful enough to be felt in several provinces and Turkey’s biggest city, Istanbul, around 125 miles (200km) to the north.
Drone footage shows the rubble of a building in the town of Sindirgi. Pic: Reuters
Television footage showed rescue teams working through the night and asking for silence so they could listen for signs of life beneath the rubble.
Interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said an 81-year-old woman died after being rescued from rubble by emergency teams in the town of Sindirgi, the epicentre.
Search teams had to cope with several aftershocks overnight. Pic: Reuters
Rescuers called for silence to help them hear signs of life beneath the rubble. Pic: Reuters
Mr Yerlikaya said a total of 16 buildings collapsed in the region – most of them derelict and unused. Two mosque minarets also fell, he said.
AFAD, Turkey’s disaster management authority, said the quake struck at a depth of 6.8 miles (11km).
The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) registered the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.19 and a depth of 6.2 miles (10km).
The earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 4.6.
A map showing the location of the earthquake in northwest Turkey
Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent.
In April, more than 150 people were injured after a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook Istanbul.
A 7.8-magnitude quake hit Turkey and Syria in 2023, killing tens of thousands of people.
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February 2023: Drone footage shows devastation in Antakya
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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement wishing all affected citizens a speedy recovery.
“May God protect our country from any kind of disaster,” he wrote on social media platform X.
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This story originally appeared on Skynews
