Heavy earthquake in Turkey, Kosovo Embassy Turns Out With Calls

A 6.1 magnitude quake struck Monday night surrounding Sındırgı in Turkey's northwest province of Balıkesir, about 22:49 local time.

The presidency of Disaster and Emergency Management announced that the quakes were widely felt in Izmir, Bursa, Istanbul and Tekirdağı, while several buildings in Sındırgı have collapsed.

According to the AFAD, the quake's epicentre was located at a depth of only 5,99 km, making it a shallow earthquake, which explains why it felt in such a vast area.

Rescue teams and firemen have immediately been sent to the ground for damage assessment and search for survivors.

In the official statement, AFAD announced that damage assessments have been launched, while citizens have been asked to stay away from damaged buildings and use online communications to avoid overloading telephone networks.

According to geologist Ramazan Demirtaş, in the last 80 days around 12,000 quakes have been recorded, including 45 magnitude earthquakes between 4 and 5 pages.

In August, another 6.1 magnitude earthquake in the same region caused the death of an elderly person and the collapse of several old buildings.

The Kosovo Embassy in Ankara has also come out with information announcing that there are no victims of Albanian citizenship.

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Strong quake in Turkey