Massive earthquake hits Turkey's Balikesir province

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit Turkey’s northwestern province, Balikesir, on August 10, 2025. The epicentre was the town of Sindirgi, but shocks were felt as far as Istanbul and Izmir.

The earthquake caused damage to almost 16 buildings, including two mosques. An 81-year-old woman died due to injuries after pulled alive from the rubble, while 29 people were injured.

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wished a swift recovery to the survivors. He wrote on X, “May God protect our country from any kind of disaster.”

The rescue operation started right after the quake. Images showed flattened buildings, with some towers turned into debris in Sindirgi.

Turkey often experiences seismic activity because it is situated on the smaller Anatolian plate, which is caught between three much larger and powerful plates: 

1. The Arabian Plate to the southeast, 
2. The Eurasian Plate to the north, 
3. The African Plate to the south.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Agency said the earthquake was felt around 16:53 GMT. Several aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 4.6, were felt as far away as Istanbul.

In 2023, catastrophic earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria in a single day. The first with a magnitude of 7.8, followed by another with a 7.7 magnitude.

The damage spread across 11 provinces, an area the size of Germany. According to the United Nations, 1.5 million people became homeless in Turkey, and millions were displaced in Syria.

The combined death toll was over 59,000 in both countries. This region has experienced around 30,000 deaths in three months.

There is a great economic impact of these earthquakes. Turkey has faced direct physical damages of over $34 billion, while Syria has been estimated at over $5 billion.

Are earthquakes common in Turkey?

Yes, seismic hazard is high in Turkey because the country is located on three large and powerful tectonic plates.