Two blasts off of Turkey’s Çanakkale trigger earthquake panic

ÇANAKKALE

Two natural blasts occurred around 75 meters off the coast of the Marmara province Çanakkale on June 28, prompting fear among locals that an earthquake was occurring, Doğan News Agency has reported.   

Footage of the incident, recorded by 47-year-old Hasan Durmaz, triggered debate among locals in Çanakkale’s Ayvacık district.

Geology professor Doğan Perinçek said the blasts were not signs of an earthquake, instead resulting from natural gas shooting out from the seabed.

“Today, two blasts and gas shootouts occurred in the Edremit strait, 75 meters off the coast and at a depth of 45 meters at 10:00 a.m. There was no earthquake reported. Small-size gas shootouts were previously witnessed by some locals after the Gülpınar earthquake,” Perinçek wrote on his social media account.

The Marmara region is situated on a sensitive faultline, where seismic activity is common, and a wave of earthquakes hit Ayvacık in February.

The first 5.3-magnitude temblor were recorded on Feb. 6 at 6:51 a.m. in Ayvacık, followed by another one with the same magnitude at 13.58 p.m. on the same day. The latest major quake occurred in Ayvacık on Feb. 12 with the same magnitude, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).   

At least 749 small or large earthquakes were recorded in Çanakkale between Feb. 6 and Feb. 13, AFAD stated.