Dozens of earthquakes hit Istanbul in three hours, injuring 151 people UPDATED

The Turkish capital, Istanbul, experienced 47 earthquakes within just three hours. 

The seismic activity began with a 3.9-magnitude quake at 13:13, followed by 46 additional tremors, Caliber.Az reports, citing the website of Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

The weakest aftershocks, measuring 1.6 in magnitude, occurred off the coast of Silivri and Büyükçekmece districts, while the strongest—a 6.2-magnitude quake—was recorded off the coast of Silivri.

The depth of the earthquakes ranged from approximately 6 to 15 kilometres.

Meanwhile, the Governor’s Office of Istanbul Province stated that 151 people were injured as a result of panic-induced jumps from heights during the 6.2-magnitude quake. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, according to the Habertürk television channel.

“Treatment is ongoing for 151 citizens who were injured after jumping from heights in panic. Their lives are not in danger. There have been no fatalities. No widespread destruction of residential buildings has been reported across the city. An abandoned building in the Fatih district collapsed, but no casualties or injuries occurred as a result,” the provincial authorities said in a statement.

The governor also noted that there were no reported disruptions to the energy supply, gas infrastructure, water supply, or sewage systems following the earthquakes.

17:01

Another earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 has struck off the coast of Büyükçekmece in Istanbul.

The earthquake was recorded at 16:12, with its epicentre located in the Sea of Marmara, off the coast of Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district, Caliber.Az reports, citing a post on the social media platform X by Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

#DEPREM
Büyüklük:4.9 (Mw)
Yer:Marmara Denizi - [24.82 km] Büyükçekmece (İstanbul)
Tarih:2025-04-23
Saat:15:12:57 TSİ
Enlem:40.83333 N
Boylam:28.31417 E
Derinlik:7.02 km
Detay:https://t.co/i4cHkdR9ul@afadbaskanlik @trthaber @anadoluajansi

— AFAD Deprem (@DepremDairesi) April 23, 2025

The tremor occurred at a depth of 7.02 kilometres.

Earlier, a sixteenth earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 had struck off the coast of Büyükçekmece in Istanbul. It occurred at a depth of 6.99 kilometers.

In total, AFAD reports that twenty-eight seismic tremors have so far been recorded in the Sea of Marmara off the coast of Istanbul.

15:35

A twelfth earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 occurred off the coast of Büyükçekmece in Istanbul.

The earthquake was registered at 14:03, with its epicentre located in the Sea of Marmara, off the coast of Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district, Caliber.Az reports, citing the X account of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 7.09 km.

#DEPREM
Büyüklük:4.8 (Mw)
Yer:Marmara Denizi - [23.15 km] Büyükçekmece (İstanbul)
Tarih:2025-04-23
Saat:13:01:02 TSİ
Enlem:40.83667 N
Boylam:28.34278 E
Derinlik:7.01 km
Detay:https://t.co/A6T49fEf2k@afadbaskanlik @trthaber @anadoluajansi

— AFAD Deprem (@DepremDairesi) April 23, 2025

Prior to the twelfth earthquake, eleventh was recorded with a magnitude of 4.8 occurred off the coast of Büyükçekmece in Istanbul 14:01, with its epicenter located in the Sea of Marmara.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 7.01 km.

In total, AFAD reports twelve tremors in the Sea of Marmara off the coast of Istanbul to date.

14:54 

A fourth earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 occurred off the coast of Büyükçekmece in Istanbul.

The earthquake was recorded at 14:02, with its epicentre located in the Sea of Marmara, off the coast of Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 7.02 km, Caliber.Az reports, citing the X account of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

Earlier, a third earthquake with a magnitude of 4.4 had occurred off the coast of Büyükçekmece in Istanbul. That quake was recorded at 13:51, with its epicentre also located in the Sea of Marmara, off the coast of Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district. It occurred at a depth of 7 km.

For the record, prior to these events, two other earthquakes had been recorded off the coast of Silivri, another district of Istanbul. The first, with a magnitude of 3.9, was registered at 13:13 local time, with the epicentre in the Sea of Marmara, off the coast of Silivri, at a depth of 6.99 km. It was followed by a significantly stronger earthquake at 13:39, with a magnitude of approximately 6.2, which was also recorded at a depth of 6.99 km. The tremor reportedly lasted for 10 seconds and caused widespread panic.

Reacting to the disaster, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is closely monitoring developments following the earthquake in Istanbul, according to the Turkish TV channel NTV.

"I send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to our citizens, we are closely monitoring developments," the Turkish president said.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said: "Our initial checks have not revealed any damage or negative situations on our highways, airports, trains and metros."

By Khagan Isayev