Istanbul, Turkiye – For five second second seconds, the buildings shook, the shelves collapsed and panic spread through Istanbul, Turkiye’s cultural and economic heart.
The floor under Istanbul trembled at 12:49 pm (09:49 GMT) on Wednesday, sending millions fighting the streets as an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 beaten in the sea off the western coast of the city. They have followed several smaller replicas, with magnitudes between 3.5 and 5.9.
No important damage was reported according to the authorities, the governor of Althegh Istanbul, Davut Gul, said at least 151 people were injured after jumping from heights to panic.
![People camp in Macka Park, Nisantantasi, since they are afraid to return home after the aftershocks [Elis Gjevori/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_4487-1745413224.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C578&quality=80)
The earthquake, centered near Silivri in the Marmara Sea, revived painful disasters and left residents dealing with fear about what could come later.
In the exclusive district of Nisantasi, Bilge, 69, was at home when his building shook.
People in the building shouted “!” And ran outside.
Near, the workers of the cafeteria rushed to the street. “We were calling our families,” said one, while the aftershocks continued to undulating in the city.
The earthquake coincided with national sovereignty and children’s day, a holiday, which leads to the cancellation of events and public anxiety.
The parents were watching the streets with their children still dressed for celebrations.
“He was on the seventh floor, about to make lunch,” said Zeynep Karatas, 41, a Sisli independent designer who had come to Nisantantasi Macka Park with hundreds of people whose security of an open space.
“The walls in my building broke, the glasses collided. I didn’t wait, I grabbed my cat and ran,” Karatas said.
He joined in dishes of neighbors already gathered outside. Some pets grabbed, others their phones, trying to contact relatives. “We all ran together. The strangers were helping older people to lower the stairs. He wanted to cry,” he added.
Some in the park are anxious and say that they will remain awake as long as possible at night. Others plan to pack a small bag in case they need to leave their home quickly.
Turkiye AFAD’s emergency authority warned residents to remain alert, since replicas can continue for hours, even days.
History of earthquakes
While the initial reports indicated little structural damage, the psychological impact was immediate.
“Everyone talked about 2023,” said Baran Demir, 62, referring to the devastating earthquake that killed more than 53,000 people in the south of Turkiye, and another 6,000 people in Syria. “You could see in people’s faces, that same fear. My building did not collapse there, but the memory returned.”
In Nisantasi, Café Mehmet, 35, who helped Usher’s customers was outside when the aftershocks arrived. “Everyone remained calm, but the mood changed quickly. We simply inflate or heroes our breath. We thought this was the great that we expect the legs.”
Istanbul residents have long feared an important earthquake that hits the city, as has happened in the past. The earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 7 have hit Istanbul in 1509, 1766 and 1894, causing thousands of deaths and destruction on a large scale. An earthquake from 1999 on Izmit, approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Istanbul, killed more than 17,000 people.
The city is close to the Northern Anatolia failure, a great failures that regularly triggers earthquakes.
The construction codes improved in recent decades are designed to counteract the effect of earthquakes in the densely populated city, but many are still worried.
“I’m afraid of sleeping tonight,” said Gokhan, an old man who lives alone. “What happens if there are strong after shocks tonight? I can’t move quickly,” says an ironic smile. “If it’s my time, it’s my moment.”