A strong earthquake jolted Türkiye’s northwestern Duzce province early Wednesday, leaving at least 93 people injured, including one in critical condition, according to the country’s disaster agency.
Out of a total, 17 people are still receiving medical treatment at the hospital, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca stressed on Twitter.
“Apart from a severely injured patient, the general condition of our citizens is good, they do not have any serious problems,” Koca had previously told reporters in the capital Ankara.
He said a 28-year-old Afghan national is in serious condition as he suffered a brain hemorrhage after falling from the first floor during the earthquake.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, who arrived in Duzce immediately after the tremor, said there are no fatalities.
AFAD said a 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered in the Golyaka district struck Duzce at 4.08 a.m. (0108GMT).
The quake occurred at a depth of 6.81 kilometers (4.2 miles).
It was also felt in Istanbul and other provinces, including northwestern Bolu, Sakarya, Kocaeli, Bursa, Bilecik, and western Izmir and Kutahya provinces, as well as the capital Ankara.
Following the quake, 138 aftershocks were recorded. Power cuts are being imposed in the region as a precautionary measure, AFAD said.
Duzce Governor Cevdet Atay announced that schools will be closed on Wednesday due to the earthquake.
In 1999, Duzce was hit by a powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake that lasted 30 seconds, killing 710 people and injuring 2,679.
*Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara contributed to this story.
Source: Anadolu Agency