A moderately strong earthquake struck Türkiye’s western province of Izmir on Nov. 4, causing panic among residents and toppling the minaret of a mosque, officials said. Three people were hurt while one of them is in critical condition.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, AFAD, said the 4.9-magnitude earthquake was centered in Izmir’s Buca district and struck at 3:29 a.m. The quake was followed by several aftershocks and was felt in surrounding areas.
At least three people were injured after jumping from a height while trying to leave their homes in panic, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Twitter.
Izmir’s mayor Tunç Soyer said there were no reports of major damage other than the toppled minaret.
“Apart from the panic, fear, alarm caused to our residents, we have not received any negative reports,” Soyer told.
The temblor occurred days after Izmir commemorated the victims of a magnitude 6.6 earthquake that claimed the lives of 117 people on Oct. 30, 2020.
Türkiye sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes.
Some 18,000 were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Türkiye in 1999.
