4.8 magnitude quake hits Turkey's northern province

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the southern province of Bolu, while the tremor was also felt in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and the neighboring province of Düzce, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced on Thursday.

The quake occurred at 1:55 p.m. Turkish time in the province of Bolu, and its depth was determined as 8.18 kilometers, AFAD said in a statement.

Many users shared messages regarding the tremor on social media, while people left their houses, workplaces and schools in panic in the provinces where the earthquake was felt.

AFAD stated that there is no loss of life or collapsed buildings in the provinces.

On the other hand, expert Şükrü Ersoy warned about the quake, reminding that in 1999, two successive earthquakes occurred in the northern provinces of Kocaeli and Düzce, claiming thousands of lives and severe destruction.

Ersoy noted that even though quake experts do not expect a large-scale earthquake in this region for a while, this quake still needs to be followed.

“The eastern end of the fault that created the Düzce quake in 1999 had reached the Bolu Mountain. Since the 4.8 quake is in the east of the Düzce quake, we need to follow this fault,” Ersoy explained.

Stating that he does not expect a large-scale quake after the 4.8 magnitude tremor, Ersoy noted that aftershocks of this earthquake can continue for a couple of days.