Multiple earthquakes shake Turkey

Turkey was shaken with multiple earthquakes on Jan. 22 and Jan. 23, with the western province of Manisa witnessing over 160 aftershocks following a 5.4-magnitude earthquake. A short while later, the capital Ankara was also hit by a 4.5-magnitude earthquake. No casualties were reported.

Duvar English

Multiple earthquakes have shaken Turkey in the past 24 hours, with the most powerful ones felt in the western province of Manisa.

A 5.4-magnitude earthquake hit Manisa province on Jan. 22, sending people running outdoors for safety.

According to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, the quake that occurred at 10.22 p.m. local time centered off the Akhisar district of Manisa at a depth of 6.98 kilometers. It was followed by a magnitude 4.4 aftershock three minutes later.

The number of aftershocks totaled 160 as of Jan. 23 noon.

Manisa Gov. Ahmet Deniz said the earthquake caused "five or six" abandoned or derelict buildings to collapse in the district but no injuries or casualties have been reported yet.

Akhisar Mayor Besim Dutlulu said he was seeking more information but that there was “no serious problem” in the district center. "There is no yet any report of injuries in the district. Our people are out on the streets; no damages have been reported yet. But, these are the initial information," Dutlulu said.

The quake was also felt in the western cities of Turkey such as Istanbul, İzmir, Manisa, Aydın, Bursa and Denizli.

Istanbul governor's office released a statement, saying: "The earthquake has been also felt in Istanbul. We have not so far received any news of a negative situation."

The earthquakes in Manisa were followed by three other ones in the capital Ankara. The magnitudes were stated as 3.9, 4.5 and 3.2 by Kandilli Observatory.

AFAD said in a statement that the 4.5-magnitude quake’s epicenter was 13 kilometers below the surface in Ankara’s Akyurt district.

It struck at 06.54 a.m. local time.

Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin later announced that there were no casualties or material losses.

Turkey is crossed by fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. In 1999, a magnitude-7.4 quake killed more than 17,000 people in northwestern Turkey.