6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Balikesir, Turkey: One Killed, 29 Injured

The 6.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the western Turkish province of Balikesir on Sunday, August 10 at 19.53 p.m. local time and killed at least one person.

The earthquake, centered in the city of Sindirgi, caused a tremor of about 200 kilometers or about 125 miles north of Istanbul, a city of more than 16 million people.

Reporting from AP, Monday 11 August Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said an elderly woman died shortly after being pulled alive out of the rubble of a building in Sindirgi. Meanwhile, four other people were successfully evacuated from the same building.

Yerylikaya added that at least 16 collapsed buildings in the area, most of which were empty buildings that were not used. In addition, two mosque towers were also reported to have collapsed.

In addition, resulting in one person being killed, the earthquake also resulted in at least 29 people being injured. Although, based on Yerlikaya's statement, the injured victims were not in serious condition.

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency reported that the earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, including one of which was an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6.