The quake, which was followed by 13 aftershocks, the largest of which had a magnitude of 4.5, had its epicenter in the southern Marmara Sea near Istanbul, and was felt in the neighboring Bursa province as well.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X that while the earthquake resulted in no casualties, a few buildings in Istanbul and Bursa provinces were damaged.
Istanbul, Turkey's most populous city, sits near the active Anatolian Fault.
The city has experienced devastating earthquakes in the past, including the 7.6 magnitude earthquake on August 17, 1999, which hit the outskirts of Istanbul and claimed over 17,000 lives.
The epicenter of Monday's earthquake is located near the 1999 earthquake’s epicenter.
Two quakes shook 11 provinces in southern Turkey on February 6, killing over 50,000 people and destroying thousands of buildings, according to official figures.
The Turkish government was heavily criticized by the opposition for the slow response to the earthquake, mainly on the basis of accusations that it did not take adequate prevention measures following the recent earthquakes of Elazig (Xarpet in Kurdish) and Izmir in 2020, which killed a total of 161 people.
Following the quakes, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised compensation for the families of the victims, restoration of the collapsed buildings, and the handover of the new residential units within a year.
.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)