A British woman visiting Turkey for breast augmentation surgery has turned to social media, asking for prayers after a frightening earthquake. Identified as Courtney, she shared a video on TikTok following a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in the Balikesir region. Courtney expressed her shock at experiencing the earthquake with intense thunder and lightning, emphasizing the unusual occurrence for her.
The earthquake caused buildings to collapse in Sindirgi, leading to multiple injuries as panic spread throughout the area. Despite being felt over 200 miles away in Istanbul, the impact was significant. Courtney, unsure of the earthquake’s magnitude, mentioned the devastation caused by a previous 6.1 earthquake in the region.
Concerned about their safety and ability to fly back home, Courtney pleaded for prayers, highlighting the precarious situation amidst the stormy weather conditions. The earthquake struck at 1.048 pm local time, with subsequent aftershocks. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported, but 22 individuals suffered injuries from panic-related falls.
Officials opened up mosques, schools, and sports halls for shelter as people feared returning to potentially unsafe buildings. Turkey’s seismic activity is a common occurrence due to its location on major fault lines, with earthquakes posing a recurring threat to the region’s inhabitants.