The shock, located at a depth of about ten kilometers, occurred at 4:08 (2:08 in Paris time) about 170 km east of Istanbul, the largest city in the country, the USGS clarified.
The Turkish authorities have announced that the magnitude of the earthquake was 5.9, with its epicenter in Gölyaka, in the province of Düzce, in the north-west of the country. “We have 35 injured, including one in critical condition,” announced Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca. The hospitalized person in critical condition was injured after jumping off the balcony in panic, authorities said.
“We were woken up by a loud noise and a jolt. We went out in a panic,” said Fatma Colak, a resident of Düzce. According to the Turkish Interior Minister, Süleyman Soylu, the earthquake would not have caused significant damage in the affected areas, nor any casualties. “There were 70 aftershocks, six of which were magnitude 4,” he said.
Fear of further aftershocks prompted many Düzce residents to remain outside two hours after the quake, Turkish media reported.
