Medium-scale earthquake triggers fear among residents

ISTANBUL

A 4.7-magnitude earthquake which struck the western province of Balıkesir’s Dursunbey district on Jan. 22 caused panic among the residents of Turkey’s Marmara region, in particular Istanbul.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on its website that the quake occurred at 10.31 p.m. local time at a depth of around 11 kilometers. No casualties have been reported so far.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has announced that the field scanning is continuing by the teams in charge, stressing that there was no negative situation reported to AFAD and first responders.

The earthquake triggered fear among many Istanbul locals, remembering the devastating 1999 Marmara earthquake, the worst seismic disaster in the country’s recent history.

The 1999 quake had a magnitude of 7.4 and hit the Marmara region, the most densely populated region of the country, killing 17,480 people. Experts have been warning against another big earthquake in the region within 25-30 years.