A TV presenter was left fearing for her safety as a powerful earthquake rocked the studio.
A scary 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Istanbul in Turkey at 12.49pm local time (9.49am UK time) on Wednesday (April 23), one of the strongest to strike the city in recent years. Terrified residents were seen fleeing buildings in a bid to get to safety – and officials say at least 151 people are injured after jumping from heights in panic.
We’ve seen several earthquakes in recent weeks – including a deadly 8.2 magnitude earthquake in Thailand and a devastating 7.1 magnitude quake in Tibet. Several earthquakes have also hit the UK – though these are not as large in scale and not deadly.
CNN Turk presenter Meltem Bozbeyoğlu was live on-air when the earthquake hit Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. She was seen panicking as the quake hit the city, and understandably became worried as the studio began shaking violently.
(Image: CNN)
She had been looking at notes on her desk before the earthquake struck. As soon as the tremor hit, the presenter looked up at the camera in alarm and began gripping the desk while looking around the room.
She alerted the others involved in the discussion about the earthquake, which according the the German Research Centre had a depth of about 6.2 miles. She raised her hand in the air and raised her voice, with audible panic in her tone as crashing noises were heard elsewhere in the studio.
(Image: CNN)
Once again, Ms Bozbeyoglu held up her hand and was trembling in fear, but she quickly regained her composure and continued to inform viewers about the earthquake while looking into the camera.
It seems she was kept informed about the situation through an earpiece. Bozbeyoğlu looked on the verge of tears and asked a producer: “Can you reach my mothe?”
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
She gave a thumbs-up to the camera and remained in the studio, keeping viewers informed about the developments regarding the earthquake. The clip of the moment has now been viewers over 724,000 times on X, formerly Twitter.
Several quakes have hit Istanbul, and the tremors were also felt in the Turkish capital, Ankara, 275 miles away. Over fifty aftershocks have been recorded, but no deaths or significant damage has been reported so far.
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
One terrified resident said: “Just felt my building shake for like 30 seconds. Earthquake in Istanbul. I’m on the 17th floor”.
Writing on X, the witness went on: “It was the strongest I’ve ever felt and honestly it was terrifying. Even now there are still small aftershocks. Things keep shaking every now and then. Stay safe everyone.” One user added: “Earthquake struck Istanbul today at 12:40pm, I was in Hotel Istanbul 5th Floor. Building was dancing for some seconds.”
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Another startled resident said: “Just experienced an earthquake in Istanbul, luckily we are ok but that sh*t was scary asf.” The GFZ reported a 6.02 magnitude quake at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles) hit the area shortly after 12:30pm.
According to Turkey’s emergency management agency, the epicentre was just off the Silivri, a coastal area known for its seismic activity. In footage posted to X, panicked crowds were seen sprinting out of buildings along a busy street as an alarm blared in the background. One person said the “terrifying” quake triggered a number of aftershocks.
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