Istanbul continues to shake: 4.1-magnitude earthquake hits Büyükçekmece

An earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district early on April 24.

According to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the tremor was recorded at 08:19 local time, with its epicentre located in the Sea of Marmara, near the shores of Büyükçekmece. The quake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometres, Caliber.Az reports.

#DEPREM
Büyüklük:4.1 (Mw)
Yer:Marmara Denizi - [24.56 km] Büyükçekmece (İstanbul)
Tarih:2025-04-24
Saat:07:19:19 TSİ
Enlem:40.84111 N
Boylam:28.30611 E
Derinlik:7 km
Detay:https://t.co/8S3uhy2Zll@afadbaskanlik @trthaber @anadoluajansi

— AFAD Deprem (@DepremDairesi) April 24, 2025

On April 23, 2025, Türkiye’s largest city, Istanbul, was rocked by a series of earthquakes, the most powerful of which measured 6.2 in magnitude and struck at 13:39 local time off the coast of Silivri in the Sea of Marmara. The tremor, which lasted around 10 seconds, triggered widespread panic across the city.

The seismic activity began earlier that day at 13:13, with a 3.9-magnitude quake, and was followed by 47 tremors within just three hours, according to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). In total, 127 aftershocks have been recorded, with depths ranging from 6 to 15 kilometres, particularly around the Silivri and Büyükçekmece districts.

While the earthquakes did not result in fatalities, panic led to 236 people being injured, primarily from jumping from heights. One abandoned building collapsed in the Fatih district, but no casualties were reported. There were no disruptions to essential infrastructure such as electricity, gas, water, or sewage systems.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his support for affected citizens and confirmed that the government is closely monitoring the situation. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu also confirmed that emergency services and transportation infrastructure were functioning without major damage.

By Vugar Khalilov