Istanbul earthquake: Huge 6.2 magnitude quake hits Turkey causing buildings to shake

A huge 6.2 magnitude earthquake has struck a tourist-packed city in , with terrified locals and tourists fleeing shaking buildings and sprinting into the street to safety. The quake hit near , centered in the Sea of Marmara, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

"Just felt my building shake for like 30 seconds. in . I'm on the 17th floor", said one terrified resident. According to Turkey's emergency management agency, the epicentre was just off the Silivri, a coastal area known for its seismic activity. In , panicked crowds were seen sprinting out of buildings along a busy street as an alarm blared in the background. One person said the "terrifying" quake triggered a number of aftershocks.

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Writing on X, the witness said: "It was the strongest I’ve ever felt and honestly it was terrifying. Even now there are still small aftershocks. Things keep shaking every now and then. Stay safe everyone." One user added: "Earthquake struck Istanbul today at 12:40pm, I was in Hotel Istanbul 5th Floor. Building was dancing for some seconds."

Another startled resident said: "Just experienced an earthquake in Istanbul, luckily we are ok but that sh*t was scary asf." The GFZ reported a 6.02 magnitude quake at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles) hit the area shortly after 12:30pm. It is one of the strongest to strike the city of 16 million people in recent years.

In another harrowing clip, a journalist filming a live broadcast for CNN Turkey was seen shaking at her Istanbul office before gripping onto her desk. Th Governorship of Istanbul said in a statement: "(Earthquake) No reports of destruction have been received as of now, and our relevant units are continuing their field scanning. We kindly ask our citizens to remain calm and avoid approaching buildings that may have been damaged."

In 2023, Istanbul was the most visited city in the by international travelers, welcoming 20.2 million visitors. This figure surpasses London and Dubai, making it the top destination globally. Last year, Euromonitor International ranked it the second most visited city, with 23 million visitors.

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