Musavat.com reports that an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 occurred in the Sındırgı district of Balıkesir province in Turkey. Strong tremors were felt in many provinces in the Marmara and Aegean regions, including Istanbul.
Naci Görür: "Stay away from damaged buildings"
Turkey's well-known seismologist Prof. Dr. Naci Görür issued a warning to the citizens on social media after the earthquake:
"An earthquake occurred in the Aktaş–Sındırgı (Balıkesir) region. This area is part of the Gediz fault system. The fault continues to fragment and creates new seismic movements. Stay away from houses with cracks."
According to the expert, the region is located in an active seismic zone and staying in damaged buildings poses a serious risk.
Hasan Sözbilir: "An earthquake storm may occur"
Prof. Dr. Hasan Sözbilir, head of the Earthquake Research and Application Center at Dokuz Eylül University (DEÜ), stated in a released statement that this event may be a continuation of the earthquake that occurred on August 10:
"Most likely, the new fault lines we identified after the August 10 earthquake have been triggered. Since these faults are related to geothermal flows, aftershocks up to magnitude 5 may occur, and an earthquake storm may happen."
Sözbilir emphasized that new fault zones that could cause destructive earthquakes were identified during field studies conducted south of Sındırgı:
"These faults related to geothermal systems in the region have been activated. Therefore, it is important not to enter cracked buildings and to comply with official authorities' instructions."
Currently, AFAD and local rescue teams are assessing the situation in the region, and safety measures have been strengthened. According to official information, no casualties have been recorded, but aftershocks are possible.