6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Turkey, Damaging Buildings

 A strong earthquake shook western Turkey on Monday, the country's emergency response agency said. Media reports said some buildings sustained damage, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The magnitude 6.1 quake was centered in the town of Sindirgi in Balikesir province, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management agency, AFAD. It struck at 22:48 local time (1948 GMT) at a depth of 5.99 kilometers (3.72 miles.)

It was felt in Istanbul, and the nearby provinces of Bursa, Manisa and Izmir, Haberturk news channel reported. Private NTV television and other outlets reported buildings damaged in Sindirgi.

Singirgi also was struck in August by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake, which killed one person and injured dozens of other people. Since then, the region around Balikesir had been hit by smaller shocks.

Turkey sits on top of major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent.

In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.

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