Powerful 4.8-magnitude quake strikes Turkey’s biggest city

An earthquake has hit Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul.

A seismic event measuring 4.8 magnitudes struck 63 kilometres west of the city at around 4:38 pm local time, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

Concerned residents reported feeling tremors strong enough to shake buildings, although it is not yet known if there are casualties or any damage to property.

The city’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu confirmed the magnitude and said so far authorities were not yet aware of any negative impacts.

He said the event in the Marmara Sea occurred at a depth of 16 kilometres.

Turkey is crossed by fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. In September, Istanbul was struck by a magnitude 5.8 quake, which injured several people, damaged buildings and saw schools evacuated.

Source: independent