Magnitude 6.1 earthquake hits Turkey, causing buildings to collapse

A strong earthquake shook western Turkey on Monday (October 28), causing at least three buildings that were damaged in a previous tremor to collapse, officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The magnitude 6.1 quake was centred in the town of Sindirgi in Balikesir province, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management agency, AFAD. It struck at 22:48 local time at a depth of 5.99 kilometres.

Fresh video shows the aftermath of a destructive earthquake in Turkey, with several buildings brought down pic.twitter.com/K4SZX6XrZO

— RT (@RT_com) October 28, 2025

The quake, which was followed by several aftershocks, was felt in Istanbul, and the nearby provinces of Bursa, Manisa and Izmir.

At least three unoccupied buildings and a two-storey shop collapsed in Sindirgi, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The structures had already been damaged in a previous earthquake.

6.1-magnitude QUAKE shakes Turkey’s Sindirgi in Balikesir province Tremors

felt in Istanbul, Izmir, and Bursa pic.twitter.com/WYFwSV3TQ6

— RT (@RT_com) October 28, 2025

A total of 22 people were injured due to panic-related falls, which can occur because of the physical and psychological impact of earthquakes, according to Balikesir's governor, Ismail Ustaoglu.

“So far, we have not identified any loss of life, but we are continuing our assessment,” Sindirgi's district administrator Dogukan Koyuncu told the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Many people remained outdoors, too, afraid to return to their homes, Haberturk television reported. As rain began to fall, Ustaoglu said mosques, schools, and sports halls were being kept open to shelter people reluctant to go back.

Sindirgi was struck in August by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake, which killed one person and injured dozens of other people. Since then, the region around Balikesir had been hit by smaller shocks.

Turkiye sits on top of major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent.

In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkiye and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighbouring Syria.