A 5.4-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale struck several cities in eastern Turkey on Thursday morning and was also felt by residents in parts of northern Syria. Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, AFAD, located the epicentre in the Karaköprü district of Şanlıurfa in the east of the country. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres.
Residents leave their homes and gather in parks
Turkish authorities had not reported any casualties or material damage by the time the initial information about the tremor was published. Live footage showed people leaving their homes and workplaces for the streets as soon as they felt the earthquake. Other images showed dozens of people gathering in public parks after leaving buildings as a precaution against further developments.
The earthquake follows a 5.8-magnitude tremor that struck south-western Turkey at the beginning of June and killed a girl and injured 69 people. Turkey lies on two fault lines that have caused a number of devastating earthquakes in recent years.
In February 2023, south-eastern Turkey was hit by a powerful earthquake that killed at least 53,000 people and destroyed the old city of Antakya.
