Aegean provinces rattled by earthquakes

ISTANBUL

Two consecutive earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.7 and 5.1 have struck the Aegean province of Aydın while also rattling the neighboring province of İzmir.

After the quake struck 7.3 kilometers (4.5 miles) below the surface off Aydın’s Kuşadası district, an aftershock with a magnitude of 5.1 occurred, Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said.

In his post on social media account, Yunus Sezer, the head of AFAD, said, “We have been informed that there are no negative situations due to the earthquakes as of now.”

Figen Ünal, one of the citizens going out in panic after two earthquakes in a row, reminded about the earthquake which occurred in İzmir two years ago and said she experienced great fear.

“These earthquakes can be considered as triggered by the one in Oct. 30, 2020,” said Hasan Sözbilir, a professor from Dokuz Eylül University.

Pointing out that the fault in the north of Samos, a Greek island, was broken on Oct. 30, 2020, Sözbilir said, “Now, the fault in the south of the island has been broken. This fault has the potential to produce earthquakes up to 6.6 magnitude.”

In Oct. 30, 2020, a powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s third-largest city, İzmir, killing at least 115 people and injuring more than 1,000 others.

In 1999, a magnitude-7.4 tremor hit the industrial province of Kocaeli, leaving nearly 18,000 people dead and around 45,000 others injured.

Nearly 16 million people were affected, with around 200,000 people becoming homeless.