One killed and dozens injured after 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey's Balıkesir

One person has been killed and at least 29 injured after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit the town of Sındırgı in the Balıkesir province on Sunday evening.

More than a dozen buildings collapsed as a result of the quake, which sent shockwaves felt some 200 kilometres to the north in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul.

Those injured were trapped under buildings that collapsed after the tremors.

"We had two citizens who escaped on their own. Four of our citizens were rescued through very rapid search and rescue efforts," Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

"Unfortunately, one of those rescued, an 81-year-old senior citizen, lost his life."

The majority of the buildings that collapsed were derelict and unused, Yerlikaya said. Two mosque minarets also fell down, he added.

Those injured were not in serious condition.

The quake triggered at least 20 aftershocks, felt in the cities of İzmir, Kütahya, Yalova, İstanbul, Manisa, Uşak, Aydın, Eskişehir, Sakarya and Tekirdağ, as well as central Balıkesir.

The country's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency urged citizens not to enter damaged buildings as aftershocks hit the country.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a statement wishing affected citizens a speedy recovery.

“May God protect our country from any kind of disaster,” he wrote on X.

Turkey — a country that sits on top of several major fault lines — is prone to earthquakes.

In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused devastation in the country's southern and southeastern provinces — killing more than 53,000 people, most trapped under the rubble of buildings that collapsed.

Experts have warned that another major earthquake in Turkey could cause severe damage and loss of life in the country, where millions still live in buildings that are not earthquake-proof.