Magnitude 6.1 earthquake hits western Turkey: catastrophe company

 A 6.1-magnitude quake struck Sindirgi in western Turkey on Sunday, the Turkish catastrophe administration company (AFAD) mentioned, killing no less than one individual and injuring dozens extra .The quake was felt throughout a number of cities within the west of the nation, together with Istanbul and the vacationer hotspot of Izmir.

“An 81-year-old individual died quickly after having been rescued from underneath the rubble,” Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya instructed journalists at Sindirgi, the epicentre of the quake .Another 29 individuals had been injured, however not severely, he added.

The quake collapsed 16 buildings in Sindirgi and its environment, of which 4 have been inhabited, together with a three-storey constructing within the metropolis centre, he mentioned .Several individuals have been pulled alive from the rubble of the three-storey constructing, the place six individuals have been residing. The one who died had additionally been buried underneath the rubble there earlier than being freed.

Earlier, Mayor Serkan Sak had instructed Turkish non-public channel NTV: “Four have been rescued from the rubble.” Efforts to extract two others have been ongoing, he added.

Some 319 first responders have been deployed to the affected zone, AFAD mentioned .The quake hit at 7:53 pm (1653 GMT), with some 20 aftershocks starting from 3.5 to 4.6 magnitude, in line with AFAD.

Turkey is crisscrossed by a number of geological fault traces which have beforehand triggered catastrophes within the nation .A quake in February 2023 within the southwest killed no less than 53,000 individuals and devastated Antakya, web site of the traditional metropolis of Antioch.

At the start of July, a 5.8-magnitude tremor in the identical area resulted in a single demise and injured 69 individuals.