ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook the Marmara Sea, western Istanbul, on Wednesday afternoon, one of the strongest quakes to have struck the city in recent years.

“I convey my wishes for a speedy recovery to our citizens. We are following the developments closely,” Turkish state media cited President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying following the powerful tremor.

Multiple footage surfaced across social media platforms at the time of the quake, showing panicking people running to the streets and gathering in parks and open spaces in search of safety. 

There were no immediate reports of damage.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya took to X to assure residents of Istanbul that all teams from the state disaster agency (AFAD) and relevant institutions “have started field scans regarding the earthquake that was also felt in the surrounding provinces.”

“Aftershocks are occurring one after another,” AFAD announced on X.

“We strongly remind our citizens not to trust disinformation news on social media and to follow the warnings of official institutions for accurate information,” the disaster agency warned.

Wednesday’s quake came just two months after Turkey marked the second anniversary of the February 2023 earthquakes, which claimed the lives of 53,000 people in the country, and leveled thousands of buildings. The destructive tremor also killed some 6,000 in neighboring Syria.