One dead, dozens injured as 5.8-magnitude quake hits Marmaris

MUĞLA

A 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Aegean Sea near Crete at 14:26 on June 3, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported, hours after a 5.8-magnitude tremor shook Marmaris. No immediate damage or injuries were reported from the latest quake.

Latest quake, centered 258 kilometers from Datça, occurred at a depth of 5.39 kilometers. AFAD teams are monitoring the region for aftershocks, with no disruptions noted in coastal areas so far.

Early on Tuesday, 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Marmaris area of southwestern Türkiye, killing one teenager and injuring dozens of people, the interior minister said.

A 14-year-old girl died following a panic attack and some 70 people were hurt in the province of Muğla as they rushed to find safety, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X.

There were no initial reports of buildings destroyed, he said.

The tremor, centered 10.43 kilometers from Marmaris at a depth of 67.91 kilometers, prompted panic, with 69 people injured, mostly from jumping from heights.

Yerlikaya reported that 46 individuals are under treatment in emergency wards, 14 received on-site care, and eight were discharged after outpatient treatment.

"In Fethiye, a 14-year-old girl named Afranur Günlü was taken to the hospital due to a panic attack but, unfortunately, despite all interventions, she passed away," Yerlikaya said.

AFAD continues field assessments alongside other agencies. Initial findings show no structural damage in populated areas, a point echoed by Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum.

“Our teams are conducting thorough checks, and no destruction has been detected so far,” Kurum stated, expressing condolences to Afranur's family and wishing the injured a swift recovery.

Many popular seaside resorts are located in Muğla province, including Marmaris, Bodrum and Fethiye, which welcomed 3.7 million foreign visitors in 2024, the Anatolu state news agency said.

The earthquake was also "broadly felt" in Greece's Dodecanese islands, the national quake protection authority chief Efthymios Lekkas told the enikos.gr news portal, saying some tourists in Rhodes had been forced to evacuate their hotels.

But there were no reports of injuries, he said.

It was also felt in Egypt, according to the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics.

Seismologists warned that the quake occurred near the Marmaris Fault Zone, a tectonically active area along the boundary between the African and Anatolian plates.

Professor Hasan Sözbilir of Dokuz Eylül University explained that the undersea fault has the potential to generate quakes exceeding magnitude 7. He emphasized the importance of mapping and monitoring submarine fault lines as part of Türkiye’s national seismic strategy.

Similarly, earthquake expert Şükrü Ersoy noted that the depth of the earthquake limited its surface impact but warned of the region’s potential to produce stronger tremors.

Experts urged residents to avoid structurally compromised buildings due to possible aftershocks reaching up to magnitude 5.

In April, a 6.2-magnitude quake off Istanbul’s coast injured at least 236 people in panic-driven incidents, officials said. A cascade of aftershocks, numbering in the hundreds, followed.