A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale struck western Turkey late last night, followed by more than 40 aftershocks that continued into the morning. The tremor, registered at 10:48 p.m. local time (9:48 p.m. Bulgarian time), had its epicenter near the town of Sindirci in Balıkesir province, about 360 kilometers from Burgas and 320 kilometers from Svilengrad. The quake was shallow, with a depth of around 6 to 10 kilometers, amplifying its impact across the region.

The strong shaking caused widespread panic among residents in several major Turkish cities, including Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, and Tekirdag, where people rushed outdoors and spent the night in open spaces, mosques, and schools. The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) reported that four buildings had collapsed, all of which were uninhabited after being damaged in previous quakes. At least 22 people were injured, some while jumping from balconies in panic. So far, there have been no confirmed fatalities.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya traveled to Balıkesir overnight to oversee emergency operations and meet with local residents. He confirmed that the emergency hotline 112 had received over 500 calls, including 25 related to structural damage. Search and assessment teams have since inspected 75 villages across the affected region. Electricity, which was briefly cut off following the tremor, has been restored, and no serious disruptions to road infrastructure have been reported.

The Turkish authorities have declared today a non-school day in the entire Balıkesir district as a precaution. The aftershocks, the strongest of which measured above magnitude 4.2, have continued to rattle the area since the initial quake. Experts warned that such activity is typical after a main earthquake of this scale, and further tremors with magnitudes between 3 and 5 may occur in the coming months.

The seismic event was also clearly felt in parts of southern Bulgaria. According to data from the National Seismological Center at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the quake was noticeable in Haskovo, Dimitrovgrad, Plovdiv, and Burgas. Seismologist Assoc. Prof. Plamena Raykova explained that aftershocks will likely continue for some time, but future tremors are expected to be weaker and less perceptible across the Bulgarian border.

This latest quake adds to a series of seismic events recorded in Balıkesir since August 10, when another 6.1-magnitude earthquake killed one person and injured 29 others. Turkey lies on multiple active fault lines and remains one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the world. The memory of the devastating February 2023 quake in southeastern Turkey, which claimed over 53,000 lives, continues to loom large as the country faces renewed seismic unrest.