490 earthquakes hit Turkish resort Bodrum in last 24 hours

MUĞLA – Doğan News Agency

At least 490 earthquakes hit the Aegean resort district of Bodrum in the last 24 hours after a 5.1-magnitude temblor on Aug. 8.

The earthquake was previously measured at 4.9 magnitude, but the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) revised it to 5.1 magnitude. 

AFAD announced that 490 aftershocks rattled the area following the main quake.

Bodrum has been struck by earthquakes lately, with most locals staying outside their houses at nights. 

A part of a beach in Bodrum’s Yalıçiftlik neighborhood collapsed after the recent earthquake, stirring panic among locals and creating a two-meter-deep hole on a road. 

Fatma Girik, a famous Turkish actress, urged citizens to take precautions against possible earthquakes after experiencing the quake in the Torba neighborhood, which stands on a fault line. 

“The houses in the city have maximum two floors. Buildings, infrastructure and the ground are sturdy. We are living on area that stands above fault lines, we must get used to that,” Girik added. 

Hasan Sözbilir, an academic at Dokuz Eylül University, said earthquakes could continue in Bodrum, while stressing that holidaymakers did not have to leave. 

Sözbilir said most of the earthquakes happening after the main one could just be aftershocks. 

“The large fault was broken, earthquakes with magnitude 5 can continue. But there is no need for people to stop their vacations. They can continue their daily lives. Buildings in central Bodrum are of good quality and are not high. Bodrum stands on a strong ground. People will only feel tiny quakes,” he said.

The 5.1-magnitude earthquake comes less than three weeks after Bodrum was rattled by a 6.6-magnitude earthquake.

On July 21, at least two people, including one Turkish citizen, were killed on the Greek island of Kos by the strong earthquake. The earthquake was felt in the Aegean province of Muğla and its districts. No casualties were reported but 354 people, five of whom were in critical condition, were injured, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım had said.