Istanbul residents spend the night outdoors after a strong earthquake and aftershocks

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ISTANBUL (AP) — Many Istanbul residents spent the night outdoors, too fearful to return to their homes, following a strong earthquake and over 180 aftershocks.

The magnitude 6.2 quake that struck midday Wednesday deeply impacted the city of 16 million residents, leaving many inhabitants shaken and wary of a possible more destructive tremor. There were no reports of serious damage but the temblor, the strongest felt in Istanbul in recent years, prompted widespread panic and scores of injuries.

The earthquake had a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey, with the epicenter about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Istanbul, in the Sea of Marmara. It was felt in several neighboring provinces.

At least 236 people were treated for injuries while trying to jump from buildings or for panic attacks. Most of the injuries were in Istanbul, where residents remain on edge because the city is considered at high risk for a major quake.

Residents sought refuge by sleeping in their cars or setting up tents in parks and other open spaces. Many lit camp fires to keep warm after the temperature dipped.

More than 100,000 slept in mosques, schools, dormitories and government-run community centers, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Thursday.

“We were very scared by the earthquake. Extremely scared. We weren’t able to go back inside,” said Emriye Toklu, who spent the night with members of her family inside a tent at a park near their home. “We’ll probably stay here for a long while because my children, my grandchildren won’t go back inside even though our home is close by.”

Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent.

For many, the memory of a devastating earthquake that struck 11 southern and southeastern provinces two years ago, remains vivid.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6, 2023, claimed more than 53,000 lives and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.

The Turkish disaster and emergency management agency, AFAD, said Wednesday’s earthquake was followed by 184 aftershocks — seven of them of a magnitude 4 or stronger.

Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum stated that authorities had received 378 reports of structural damage in various buildings. At least 12 buildings had been evacuated as a precautionary measure, he said.

Only one building — a derelict, long-abandoned structure in the city’s historic Fatih district — collapsed.

Germany’s GFZ seismological research institute said the earthquake was the strongest in the area in over 25 years and extended the fault zone toward Istanbul.

The institute said the development presented two possibilities: either the region could experience a temporary decrease in seismic activity, or the stress caused by the earthquake could lead to a more destructive tremor.

“The area beneath the Sea of ​​Marmara south of Istanbul is the only area of ​​the entire plate boundary that hasn’t generated a strong earthquake in over 250 years and is therefore overdue for an earthquake with a magnitude of up to 7.4,” the seismology center said.

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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.