Damage reported after 6.6 magnitude quake hits western Turkey

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey’s Aegean city of Izmir on Friday, with at least five buildings collapsing but no immediate confirmation of casualties.

The quake struck at 3:01 p.m. (1201 GMT) at a depth of 16.5 kilometres in Izmir’s Seferihisar district, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

Five buildings collapsed in the districts of Bayrakli and Bornova, Environmental and Urban Planning Minister Murat Kurum said, adding that the damage was still being assessed.

The quake was felt in nearby cities as well as in Turkey’s largest city Istanbul, some 540 kilometres to the north, the minister said.

Rescue teams have started work in the area, President Recep Erdogan said on Twitter.

The footage of a collapsed building in Izmir’s Bornova district showed several cars buried under rubble and people running from their homes in panic.

The footage also showed locals joining rescue efforts on the collapsed seven-storey, 21-apartment building.

Rescue teams urged onlookers to remain silent after one person was spotted under the rubble.

Cell phone reception was temporarily lost, it said.

The quake triggered a small-scale tsunami in Seferihisar, Huseyin Alan, Head of Turkey’s Chamber of Geological Engineers said, warning people to stay away from buildings.

At least four major aftershocks followed the quake, Alan added.

The ministry showed sea levels rising in Seferihisar, resulting in flooding on the streets.

Izmir sits on an active fault line. The major North Anatolian fault line generated a deadly earthquake near Istanbul in 1999, killing more than 17,000 people in the greater region.