6.4 magnitude earthquake hits southwest Turkey

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Southwest Turkey was struck by an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter magnitude scale on Wednesday morning, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). There are currently no reports of casualties.

“Today at 09:34 in Acipayam town’s Yenikoy neighborhood, an earthquake was felt in the whole region and its surroundings but no one died or was injured,” said Osman Zolan, head of Denizli metropolitan municipality, in a tweet.

However, the governor of the province, Hasan Karahan, told journalists that “according to initial reports, 10 houses have been damaged” and three people have “slightly been injured”.

Graphic published by EMSC shows the epicentre of Wednesday's quake. Photo: EMSC / social media 

The head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said in a tweet his teams are monitoring and investigating the situation, confirming three people had been slightly injured. There were no fatalities. 

The quake struck 8 km south of Acipayam, Denizli Province in Turkey’s Aegean Region at a shallow depth of 10 km below the surface. Several weaker aftershocks have also been reported.

Zolan visited areas affected by the quake where some buildings had been badly damaged.  

Acıpayam İlçemizin Ucarı Mahallesi'nde depremden etkilenen hemşehrilerimizi ziyaret ettik. En büyük tesellimiz can kaybının yaşanmamış olması. İnşallah tez zamanda yaralarımızı hızla saracağız. pic.twitter.com/g2bJSGUm4P

— Osman ZOLAN (@osmanzolan) March 20, 2019

Muharrem Gezi, a resident of Yenikoy told Reuters his village was hit.

“I saw some chimneys broken and roof tiles falling on the streets. Some garden walls collapsed as well. Everyone is scared and outside. No one is injured,” he said.

The quake was also reportedly felt in neighboring Izmir and Antalya provinces.