On Sunday evening, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 hit the north-western Balikesir province of Turkey killing one 81-year-old woman and injuring 29 others. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the 16 buildings collapsed in the quake that had its epicentre in Sindirgi. It was experienced even in Istanbul.
The disaster management agency in Turkey measured the tremor at 19:53 (local time); this is equivalent to 16:53 GMT. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made a condolence message and assured a close watch of the recovery process, whereas the search and rescue operations are now over. Police did not record any additional deaths or major damage to buildings.
The pictures taken in Sindirgi depict flattened houses and heaps of rubbles which demonstrate the seismic danger that Turkey still faces. The nation lies on the boundary of three large tectonic plates. The tragedy occurs a little less than two years after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February 2023, which took more than 50,000 lives in Turkey and 5,000 in Syria.