5.8-magnitude quake rattles Turkey’s southwestern resorts

The Aegean coastal resort of Marmaris, district of Mugla, on March 22, 2022. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

ANKARA — A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Marmaris area of southwestern Turkey early on Tuesday, killing one teenager and injuring dozens of people, the interior minister said.

The quake, which Turkey’s AFAD disaster agency said struck at 2:17 am (2317 GMT on Monday) some 10 kilometres (six miles) off the coast of Marmaris, was also felt in Greece and as far away as Egypt.

A 14-year-old girl died following a panic attack and some 70 people were hurt in the Mugla province as they rushed to find safety, including “some who jumped from a height”, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X.

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

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

Fethiyeh lies around 100 kilometers to the east of Marmaris.

Of those injured, 14 were treated at the scene, eight were briefly treated then discharged and another 46 were being treated in hospital, he said.

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Many popular seaside resorts are located in Mugla 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.