Magnitude 3.8 earthquake rattles Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck near Istanbul in the early hours of April 14.      

The quake occurred off the Black Sea coast of Arnavutkoy district at 2:56 a.m. local time, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).     

Boğaziçi University Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute reported that the magnitude of the earthquake was 4.1.

It had a depth of 7.03 kilometers (4.3 miles), according to officials.     

There were no immediate reports of casualties.     

Meanwhile, the Marmara Sea was withdrawn about 50 meters in the district of Şarköy in Tekirdağ province, 150 kilometers southwest of the epicenter of the earthquake.

An island with a length of 400 meters appeared in the middle of the sea with the withdrawal of the waters.

Şarköy is located on the Ganos Fault Line, which was broken in a 1912 earthquake, while Istanbul is located very close to the Middle Marmara fault zone.

More than 17,000 people were killed and over 43,000 were injured when a magnitude 7.4 quake rocked the Marmara region in 1999.

A new major earthquake is expected to occur in the regions close to Istanbul as it is perched in the middle of fault lines.