Turkey has been rocked by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake tonight (Sunday) as rescuers and locals searching collapsed buildings for survivors. Images posted on social media show damaged buildings and scenes of destruction with people scouring the rubble for signs of anyone trapped.
The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), according to German Research Centre for Geosciences(GFZ)
Turkey's disaster management agency AFAD said the quake occurred at around 7:53pm local time in the Balikesir province, near the country's biggest city Istanbul.
Posting on X, AFAD said more than 300 rescue personel and 79 vehicles had been deplyed to the affected area. The agency said there had been 20 aftershocks ranging from 3.0 to 5.0 magnitude so far.
It added: "In Sindirgi district, 1 building has collapsed. As a result of search and rescue operations, 4 people have been rescued alive from the debris, and efforts to rescue one person are ongoing."
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said on X that four people were being treated in hospital. None of them were in life-threatening condition, he said.
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