6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Turkey's Istanbul

Illustration. (Unsplash/Jens Aber)

JAKARTA - An earthquake with an initial magnitude of 6.2 rocked Istanbul on Wednesday, the Turkish disaster and emergency management agency said.

Quoted from the Associated Press on April 23, there have been no direct reports of damage or injuries.

The earthquake had a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey. The epicenter of the earthquake was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara.

Aftershocks occurred several times, including one earthquake measuring 5.3. The disaster and emergency management agency appealed to residents to stay away from the building.

An earthquake was felt in a neighboring area, a report said. Many people rushed out of their homes in panic.

Meanwhile, Istanbul's Metropolitan City Government said there were no "serious cases" in the earthquake in a statement made on its social media accounts.

Kemal Cebi, mayor of the Kucukcekmice district in western Istanbul, told local broadcaster NTV there was "no negative progress" but he reported there was traffic jams and many buildings were already at risk due to the density of the area.