Istanbul has been rocked by a series of earthquakes, something scientists have been warning about for years. But if you have holidays booked, is it still safe to travel?
Buildings shook and people fled onto the streets of Turkey’s biggest city after three consecutive earthquakes – as strong as 6.2 magnitude – hit before 1pm local time today.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Today’s earthquakes hit the western outskirts of Istanbul, a suburban area that is far from the city centre but popular with tourists in the spring and summer.
The most powerful 6.2 magnitude quake hit the coast of the Silivri district around 12.49pm local time (10.49pm BST).
Its epicentre was 40km south of Istanbul, around 10km beneath the Sea of Maramara, but it was close enough to send shockwaves through the city that is home to a fifth of Turkey’s population.
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Live TV captured the moment CNN Türk anchor Meltem Bozbeyoglu realised what was happening.
The BBC’s senior international correspondent Orla Guerin, who lives in Istanbul, said she has never felt an earthquake so powerful in six years of living in the city.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said there were no ‘serious cases’ in the earthquake in a statement made on its social media accounts.
Kemal Cebi, the mayor of the Kucukcekmece district in western Istanbul, told local broadcaster NTV that there were ‘no negative developments yet’ but he reported that there were traffic jams and that many buildings were already at risk due to the density of the area.
Earthquakes in Turkey
Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines and in some parts of the country, earthquakes are frequent.
Scientists have been warning that a major quake could hit Istanbul for years.
Anxiety around earthquakes has run high in Turkey since 2023, when a series of massive shocks killed more than 55,000 people in southeastern parts of the country and neighbouring Syria.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 6 February 2023, and a second powerful tremor that came hours later, destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and south-eastern Turkish provinces, leaving more than 53,000 people dead.
Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of Syria.
Whole neighbourhoods were flattened and people slept outside in fear of aftershocks for weeks.
While Istanbul was not impacted by that earthquake, the devastation heightened fears of a similar quake with experts citing the city’s proximity to fault lines.
In a bid to prevent damage from any future quake, both the national government and local administrations started urban reconstruction projects to fortify buildings at risk and started campaigns of demolishing buildings at risk of collapse.
Travel advice for Turkey
The UK Foreign Office has not updated its travel advisory since the earthquakes this morning.
As it stands, the FCDO advises against all travel to within 10km of the border with Syria due to fighting and a heightened risk of terrorism.
It also warns of unrest linked to demonstrations and protests that have taken place across the country in recent weeks.
Last month, hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor.
Like with any country, the Foreign Office advises British nationals to stay vigilant when abroad.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman told Metro it is ‘monitoring’ the ongoing situation in Turkey and keeps its travel advice under ‘constant review’.
What to do if you’re caught in an earthquake abroad
If an earthquake strikes, the FCDO says you should drop to the ground, cover your head and hold on to something stationary.
If you are inside a building, you are advised to stay where you are. Avoid sheltering under door frames.
If you are near the ocean, the advice will always be to move to higher ground.
As aftershocks can occur, the FCDO recommends following local advice regarding evacuation or sheltering in place after an initial earthquake.
The FCDO will set up a specific crisis response to help British nationals who might be affected. This can include a dedicated hotline or online registration where you can apply for assistance.
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