Orla Guerin

Reporting from

Istanbul

A series of earthquakes including a 6.2-magnitude tremor have struck near Istanbul, shaking buildings and prompting people to flee their homes.

At least 151 were injured jumping from high places, the governor of Turkey’s largest city said on X. There were no deaths and no major structural damage reported, authorities said.

The largest earthquake on Wednesday struck at 12:49 local time (09:49 GMT) at a depth of 6.92 km (4.3 miles), Turkey’s emergency services said.

Large groups of people remained on the streets as aftershocks struck in the afternoon, and many have prepared to spend the night outside to safeguard against another strong tremor.

The epicentre of the 6.2-magnitude tremor was located along the coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the Silivri area about 80 km (50 miles) west of Istanbul. City authorities said more than 50 aftershocks had been recorded in the hours since.

Residents reported the main earthquake as one of the strongest they had felt in years, with many saying they feared an even bigger quake.

Many gathered to spend the evening outdoors in the main square in Besiktas, a large student area and one of the city’s busiest.

Selim Ustaoglu, a student, told the BBC he grabbed a few essentials as he fled his accommodation, and would not be returning for at least the night.

He packed a small bag with a charger, toothbrush and his favourite sweater before heading to the square. “I’m staying here tonight,” he said.

Zeynep Akincioglu, another student, said he didn’t feel he could take his family home under the threat of more shocks. “I don’t feel safe going back inside, our building doesn’t look strong,” he said.

Selva Demiralp, an economics professor at Koc University, told the BBC she was with her family in a high-rise when the earthquake struck and it was “quite scary”.

“We are safe, it looks there was no damage in buildings,” she said. But she added that people were nervous about whether the quake “was a foreshock itself” and the “real one is on its way”.

There has been little visible structural damage to the city, however. Authorities said an abandoned building in the Fatih district on the European side of the city had collapsed.

Energy and gas supplies, drinking water and sewerage infrastructure were unaffected, it added in a post on X.

Schools were closed on Wednesday due to a public holiday. They will remain so on Thursday and Friday, Education Minister Yusuf Tekin said, though open ground would be available for use as safe spaces.

Southern Turkey was devastated by two giant earthquakes in 2023, which killed more than 55,000 people.

Istanbul is Turkey’s most populous city and home to 16 million people – a fifth of the country’s residents. The city lies 20km to the north of the North Anatolian Fault Line.

Additional reporting by Mallory Moench