Earthquake in Turkey without victims briefly interrupts flights in Istanbul

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake in Western Anatolia, recorded shortly before noon this Sunday, which has not caused any casualties, causing only minor material damage, has briefly interrupted air traffic at one of Istanbul’s two airports. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.4, with its epicenter in Simav, a municipality of 60,000 inhabitants in the province of Kütahya, occurred at 12.59 h (9.59 GMT) and could be felt even in Istanbul, about 200 kilometers further north. Although the tremor caused panic in the region, no casualties or injuries were recorded, as confirmed hours later by the Turkish Ministry of Health, and the press reports only minor material damage, such as the appearance of cracks in some buildings. However, sensors alerted at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, located on the Asian side of Istanbul, and prompted a brief runway check, which lasted only 5 minutes, but forced two planes to postpone their landing, reports the NTV network.

You may be interested in: The Kremlin says the invitation to Trump to visit Moscow is still on the table

In May 2011, Simav, located 90 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital, Kütahya, was already the epicenter of a 5.9-magnitude earthquake, which caused two deaths and a hundred injuries. The geological fault in which Simav is located extends west to Sindirgi, a distance of 70 kilometers, where a magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurred on August 10th, which caused one death and fifty injuries, damaging 16 buildings.