Magnitude 4.8 earthquake jolts Istanbul

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook Istanbul on Jan. 11, causing panic among residents of the megacity. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said so far authorities were not yet aware of any "negative impacts."

Duvar English

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook Istanbul at 4.37 p.m. local time on Jan. 11, as per a report from the Boğaziçi University Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute. The institute first said the quake had a magnitude of 4.7 but later revised its report.

The seismic event in the Marmara Sea occurred at a depth of 16 kilometers, near the Silivri district of Istanbul, said the institute.

According to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the quake had a magnitude of 4.7 and occurred at a depth of 7.09 kilometers.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said on Twitter that the relevant municipality teams are “on duty” under the coordination of the municipality disaster coordination center AKOM and they had no so far received any news of a “negative situation.”

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya also released a statement on Twitter, saying: “In the aftermath of the earthquake, no call has been made to AFAD coordination center or 155, 156, 112, 110 and our other [emergency] hotlines.”

Turkey is crossed by fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. In September, Istanbul was struck by a magnitude 5.8 quake, which injured several people, damaged buildings and saw schools evacuated.