Turkey Earthquake equalizes buildings in Balicesir province

One man died in Turkey after an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck the northwestern Balikesir province on Sunday night.

An 81-year-old woman died shortly after she was removed from ruins in the city of Sindiri, who was the epicenter of the earthquake, said Turkey’s Interior Minister.

Sixteen buildings collapsed as a result of tremor and 29 people were injured, Ali Yerlikaya added.

The Turkish Disaster Agency said the earthquake was recorded around 19:53 local time (16:53 GMT) and felt as far as Istanbul.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement that wishes a speedy recovery to all who are affected and said that all efforts to recover are closely monitored.

“May God protect our country from all kinds of disaster,” he writes to X.

Search and rescue operations have already been completed and the Minister of the Interior has said there are no other signs of serious damage or casualties.

However, photos from Sindiri show large buildings, fully flattened and towering piles of twisted metal and debris.

Turkey is located at the intersection of three main tectonic plates and, as a result, experiences frequent seismic activity.

In February 2023, more than 50,000 people were killed when an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 devastated the southeast region of the country.

Another 5,000 were killed in neighboring Syria.

For more than two years, hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced.