On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 shook Istanbul and other areas of Turkey, injuring over 150 people after they jumped from buildings in Istanbul. This earthquake is one of the strongest quakes in years hit the city.
Several people gathered in parks and other sat on doorsteps, or stood outside their homes in the centre of Istanbul as aftershocks from the quake on the European side of the city continued to be felt.
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According to Istanbul resident Neslisah Aygoren, sitting in a park, “It started with a big tremor all of a sudden and we felt it very strongly.” He added, “I ran straight to my dog in fear, hugged it and we waited for it to end, lying on the ground. After that, we took our belongings and went straight to the street.”
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The Istanbul governor’s office reported that 151 people were injured and treated in hospitals after leaping from buildings in terror during the tremor, but none were in serious condition.
According to reports, one abandoned building collapsed in central Istanbul, but no one was injured, and no electrical or water infrastructure was damaged in the 16-million-person city on the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus Strait. Some shops have closed.
Two years ago, Turkey experienced the deadliest and most catastrophic earthquake in modern history. In February 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed more over 55,000 people and injured over 107,000 in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced as a result of the earthquake, with many currently living in temporary shelters. The recent tremors brought back memories of a 1999 earthquake near Istanbul, which killed 17,000.
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The epicentre of Wednesday’s quake, which hit at 12:49 p.m. (0949 GMT), was in the area of Silivri, some 80 km (50 miles) to the west of Istanbul. It was at a depth of 6.92 km (4.3 miles), Turkey’s AFAD disaster agency said.
According to Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, checks revealed no damage to highways, airports, trains, or subways. President Tayyip Erdogan stated on X that he was following the situation and that his office had issued instructions on what people should do in the event of future earthquakes.
