Turkey earthquake 2025: Two killed as huge 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Istanbul - flattening buildings
A huge 6.1 magnitude earthquake has hit the holiday hotspot Turkey.
Turkey's disaster management agency AFAD said the quake occurred at around 7:53pm local time in the Balikesir province, near the country's biggest city, Istanbul. Posting on X, AFAD said more than 300 rescue personnel and 79 vehicles had been deployed to the affected area.
The agency said there had been 20 aftershocks ranging from 3.0 to 5.0 magnitude so far. It added: "In Sindirgi district, 1 building has collapsed. As a result of search and rescue operations, 4 people have been rescued alive from the debris, and efforts to rescue one person are ongoing."
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said on X that four people were being treated in hospital. None were in life-threatening condition, he added. Images posted on social media show damaged buildings and scenes of destruction, with people scouring the rubble for signs of anyone trapped. The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
Local officials have declared a public "holiday" for many workers and students. The Balikesir governor's office stated: "Due to the earthquake that occurred in the Sındırgı district of our province, summer schools providing education throughout our province have been closed for one day... and pregnant and disabled personnel working in public organisations will be considered on administrative leave."
Turkish actress Eylül Tumbar has shared that two of her relatives were trapped in a building that collapsed when the earthquake struck. Tumbar's aunt and uncle were buried under the rubble in Balikesir, where dozens were injured by falling buildings.
In a post shortly after the quake struck, she said: "My relatives, Hamide Önbaş and Nihat Önbaş, are trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in the Balıkesir earthquake." She later added that her aunt had been rescued and taken to hospital, but her uncle had tragically died.
She added: "They couldn't save my uncle, may he rest in peace, still, I thank everyone who tried to help." An elderly woman also died shortly after being pulled out alive from the debris of a collapsed building in Sindirgi.