Image Source: Agencies

Aug 11, 2025: A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck northwestern Turkiye's Balikesir province on Sunday evening, killing at least one person and causing more than a dozen buildings to collapse, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The quake occurred at about 7:53 pm (16:53 GMT) with its epicentre in the town of Sindirgi, striking at a depth of 11 km (6.8 miles), the disaster management authority AFAD said. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) registered the magnitude at 6.19 and depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), Al Jazeera added.
According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, four people were rescued from a collapsed house, and three of them were taken to the hospital for treatment. "The lone victim was an 81-year-old person who died after being rescued from the rubble," he confirmed to Al Jazeera.
The earthquake, which was felt in several provinces, including Istanbul, the largest city in Turkiye, left nearly 30 people injured. Within the first hour, the disaster authority reported six aftershocks, one of which measured 4.6 magnitude, and advised citizens not to enter damaged buildings.

Yerlikaya confirmed that there were no more signs of serious damage or casualties and that search and rescue operations had ended. Additionally, he stated that water and electricity services were unaffected. Al Jazeera reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences to the affected populace, stating, "May God protect our country from any kind of disaster." Istanbul, a city of 16 million people, is particularly vulnerable due to Turkiye's location on multiple fault lines.

The city was shaken in April of this year by an earthquake of magnitude 6.2, but no fatalities were reported. According to Al Jazeera, two 7.8-magnitude earthquakes struck Turkiye earlier this year, in February 2023, killing approximately 6,000 people in Syria.