Turkey earthquake: Magnitude 5.4 tremor hits Şanlıurfa region

Thursday 24 - 14:36

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck southeastern Turkey on Thursday morning, prompting residents to leave buildings and gather in open areas as emergency teams assessed the situation.

The tremor was recorded at 10:40 a.m. in the Karaköprü district of Şanlıurfa, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). The agency said the earthquake was felt across several nearby provinces, including Adıyaman, Malatya, Diyarbakır and Gaziantep.

No casualties reported after the tremor

Initial assessments indicated no deaths or injuries and no major structural damage in the affected areas.

AFAD said field teams were deployed to inspect buildings and infrastructure following the earthquake. The tremor occurred at a depth of approximately 7.39 kilometres, making the shaking noticeable to residents in the region.

People in several locations moved outdoors immediately after the earthquake, gathering in streets, parks and other open spaces as a precaution.

Minor cracks reported in Pinarbasi

Şanlıurfa Governor Hasan Şıldak said preliminary inspections had found no casualties or significant damage, while noting that some buildings could have sustained limited structural effects.

In Pinarbasi, described by Karaköprü Mayor Nihat Çiftçi as a rural area, the reported impact was limited to minor plaster cracks in some buildings.

Authorities continued inspections to determine whether additional damage had occurred and to monitor the situation following the initial shock.

Region still marked by the 2023 earthquake disaster

The latest earthquake comes in a part of Turkey that remains deeply affected by the devastating seismic disaster of February 2023.

That earthquake struck large parts of southeastern Turkey and neighbouring areas, killing more than 53,000 people in Turkey and causing widespread destruction.

The memory of the 2023 disaster has heightened public sensitivity to new earthquakes, particularly in southeastern provinces where residents remain attentive to official warnings and emergency assessments.