Turkish authorities have asked people to consider only information released by official channels about the 6.2 magnitude earthquake felt in Istanbul today, with no reports of casualties or damage yet.
Please take into account statements that will be made by official sources. "Do not believe unfounded claims," the Center for Combating Disinformation urged in a message quoted by Turkey's Anadolu news agency.
The earthquake was felt at 12:49 pm local time (10:49 am in Lisbon) and was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 5.0, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The National Agency for Disaster Management (AFAD) and Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the earthquake occurred off Silivri in the Sea of Marmara.
The earthquake and at least two of its aftershocks were felt strongly in every neighborhood of the sprawling city of 16 million people, located on the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, according to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.
Thousands of people ran into the streets in panic, but authorities reported no casualties or damage nearly two and a half hours after the first shock.
"So far, we have not received any call for help, such as calling 911 and saying 'our house or building has collapsed'," the interior minister was quoted as saying by Anadolu.
Even so, all messages from authorities were to exercise extreme caution as emergency and rescue teams checked the sites.
Istanbul council urged citizens to stay away from damaged buildings and avoid driving.
"All our emergency services are on high alert. According to the information we have at this stage, no buildings have collapsed. We are continuing the search," the city hall said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was "closely monitoring the developments of the situation".
Turkey is crossed by two faults that have caused numerous tragedies in the past.
Istanbul lives in fear of the "Big One", the great earthquake, as it is located 20 kilometers from the North Anatolian fault.
The most pessimistic experts predict an earthquake with a magnitude of at least 7.0 by 2030, which could cause the partial or total collapse of hundreds of thousands of buildings.
The southeast of the country suffered a violent earthquake in February 2023, which killed at least 53,000 people and devastated the ancient city of Antakya, formerly known as Antioch.
The Silivri neighborhood is home to one of the country's main prisons, where opposition Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and arts patron and philanthropist Osman Kavala are being held.
It was also there that many of the protesters detained during the protests that followed the March 19 arrest of Imamgolu, who was arrested in Silivri six days later, were taken.
The mutual aid network for parents of detained youths said on social media that the prison had not suffered any damage, according to AFP.
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