Moderate earthquake shakes Turkey’s northwest, no casualty reported

ISTANBUL

A magnitude-5.0 earthquake struck Turkey’s northwestern province of Düzce, the country’s disaster authority announced on Nov. 17.

The quake shook the central district of the province at 3:40 p.m. local time, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

It occurred at a depth of 18.02 kilometers below the surface, it added.

The earthquake was also felt in nearby urban areas such as Kocaeli, Sakarya, Bolu and Bilecik, in addition to Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu confirmed on Twitter that no casualties had been reported yet.

“No adverse situation has been reported to the governor’s office, AFAD and 112 [emergency service] teams. The public will be informed according to developments,” Soylu said.

Also on Twitter, Düzce Mayor Faruk Özlü confirmed no loss of life due to the earthquake has been reported.

Özlü also asked people not to panic, adding that they should continue to follow the situation and that further information will be provided.

Turkey sits atop one of the most seismically active spots in the world, with the North Anatolian Fault and neighboring faults covering most of the country.

Düzce, a province of some 390,000 people on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, was hit by a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 measuring on the Richter scale in 1999 that killed 845 people.

The disaster came three months after a larger earthquake in nearby Kocaeli province that killed tens of thousands of people.