5.8-magnitude earthquake jolts Turkish metropolis Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake which struck Istanbul in the Marmara Sea on Sept. 16 caused panic among the residents of Istanbul.

According to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the earthquake’s estimated magnitude was 5.8, and it took place at a depth of 6.99 km, some 21.68 km from Silivri.

"Eight people were slightly injured in the earthquake," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport returning from his visit to the UN General Assembly in New York.

"According to AFAD, the magnitude of the earthquake is 5.8 and 28 aftershocks are recorded so far," Erdoğan said.

A minaret of a mosque in Avcılar district in Istanbul fell due to the quake.

According to AFAD, two buildings were damaged in Sultangazi and Eyüp districts while residents of a building which leaned aside due to the earthquake were evacuated in Şirinevler district of Istanbul.

According to the initial reports, eight people were lightly injured due to the incident.

Turkish media showed children being evacuated from schools and city residents waiting outside their homes.

In addition to Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city, the earthquake was also felt in nearby urban areas such as Kocaeli, Sakarya, Tekirdağ, Edirne and Kırklareli.

Kocaeli Governor Hüseyin Aksoy and AFAD officials in Sakarya told Anadolu Agency that no negative outcome of the quake has been reported so far.

The Istanbul Governorship said primary and secondary schools were temporarily suspended on Sept. 26 due to the quake.

Bursa Governorship announced all schools were suspended on Sept. 26 in the province due to the anxiety that came after the quake, according to the provincial directorate for national education.

Yalova Governorship also decided on a one-day suspension of all schools on Sept. 26 afternoon, Ali Tosun, provincial director of national education, told Anadolu Agency.

Our biggest consolation is that there is not any loss of life due to the quake, Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

Koca added that the Health Ministry is on alert for all kinds of disasters.

Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoğlu and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül conveyed good wishes to everyone who were affected by the quake.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said he was happy that there is not any loss of life or crucial injury according to initial reports.

Aftershocks could create an energy which will break the earth’s crust, Kerem Kınık, Turkish Red Crescent head, said on Twitter.

Kınık urged citizens to leave their houses which were damaged and risky to stay in. The buildings established before 1999 faces a risk of demolition, he warned.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said the schools, which were closed on Sept. 26 following the quake, will be opened on Sept. 27 as there is no need for closure as per evaluations.

"Our schools will remain open on Friday. We are expecting our students will attend schools tomorrow," Oktay told reporters at a news conference in Istanbul.

A 3.6 earthquake also shook Istanbul earlier on Sept. 26, at 10.32 a.m. (0732GMT), according to AFAD. The epicenter of the quake was on the Marmara Sea.

The earthquake, off Istanbul’s Silivri district and some 70 kilometers west of central Istanbul, occurred at a depth of 12.6 kilometers (7.3 miles), it added.

On Sept. 24, a 4.6-magnitude earthquake also hit off Silivri, according to AFAD.