One person has died and several have been injured after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake has struck Turkey as more than a dozen buildings have crumbled to the ground.
The epicentre of the deadly earthquake was in western Turkey’s Sindirgi in Balikesir, as residents started to feel tremors around 8pm local time today.
At least 29 people were injured and 16 buildings collapsed after the disaster tore through the country, which was then followed by a 4.6-magnitude aftershock minutes later.
There were a total of seven aftershocks exceeding magnitude 3.0, officials have said.
One of the destroyed homes was a three-storeys in the city centre, Mayor Serkan Sak announced on Turkish private channel NTV.
‘Six people lived in this three-storey building. Four were rescued from the rubble,’ he said, adding that efforts to extract the other two were underway.
An elderly woman died shortly after being pulled out alive from the debris of the collapsed building, said interior minister Ali Yerlikaya.
None of the injured were in serious condition, the minister said.
One person has died and several have been injured after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake has struck Turkey as several buildings have crumbled to the ground
At least 29 people were injured and 16 buildings collapsed after the disaster tore through the country, which was then followed by a 4.6-magnitude aftershock minutes later
The earthquake struck in its epicentre of Balikesir (pictured), which was then followed by a 4.6-magnitude aftershock minutes later
Many houses also collapsed in the nearby village of Golcuk, he said. The minaret of a mosque also tumbled down in the village.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said on X that four people were being treated in hospital. None of them were in life-threatening condition, he said.
The quake was felt across multiple cities in the west of the country, including Istanbul and the tourist hotspot of Izmir, said officials.
Two people were trapped under the rubble in Istanbul but were saved by rescue teams, the Governer’s office said.
Local television footage showed rescue teams asking for silence so they could listen for signs of life beneath the rubble.
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) have urged citizens not to enter damaged buildings.
Videos shared to social media reportedly show the aftermath of a destroyed building and frantic locals in distress.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement wishing all affected citizens a speedy recovery.
An elderly woman died shortly after being pulled out alive from the debris of the collapsed building, said interior minister Ali Yerlikaya
Local media reported that rescue teams asked for silence so they could listen for signs of life beneath the rubble
The quake was felt across multiple cities in the west of the country, including Istanbul and the tourist hotspot of Izmir, said officials
Two people were trapped under the rubble in Istanbul but were saved by rescue teams, the Governer’s office said
‘May God protect our country from any kind of disaster,’ he wrote on X.
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.
The disaster ministry said: ‘On August 10, 2025, at 7:53 PM, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Sındırgı district of Balıkesir province.
‘The earthquake was felt in the provinces of Manisa, İzmir, Uşak, and Bursa. To date, a total of seven aftershocks exceeding magnitude 3.0 have occurred.
‘Field surveys are currently ongoing. AFAD Provincial Directorates in Çanakkale, İzmir, Afyonkarahisar, Uşak, Bursa, Sakarya, Kütahya, Bilecik, Manisa, and Kocaeli have dispatched personnel and vehicles to support search and rescue efforts.
‘The Turkish Disaster Response Plan (TAMP) has been activated, and representatives of all disaster groups will meet at the AFAD Disaster and Emergency Management Center.’
