Western Turkey rocked by magnitude 5.6 earthquake

  23 January 2020    Read: 1242
Western Turkey rocked by magnitude 5.6 earthquake

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit western Turkey on Wednesday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and was followed moments later by several aftershocks, the Turkish media reported. 

The first earthquake took place about 15 kilometers east of Kirkagac, a town in the Aegean region of Turkey, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

​The quake was at a depth of around 8.6 kilometers.

The second earthquake took place about 18 kilometers northwest of Akhisar, also in the Aegean region of Western Turkey. Another 3.8 magnitude aftershock took place in Akhisar shortly afterwards.

​According to some reports, 14 earthquakes have been felt in Western Turkey in the last six hours. All the other quakes have been between magnitudes of 2.9 and 4.6.

​"I'm a native born Texan living in Turkey. This was my first real earthquake experience that wasn't a minor tremor. The whole apartment building rumbled, all the light fixtures shook, and things rattled around, even my cats were freaked out and hid. There was noticeable aftershock, but it was minor," one witness said.

​According to Akhisar Mayor Besim Dutlulu, no civilians were harmed and no buildings were damaged in the city.

"It was long and heavy. For the first time ever, we left our house," another witness wrote.


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