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Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits south of İstanbul

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck just south of İstanbul on Monday, rattling parts of Turkey’s largest city but causing no immediate injuries or damage, Agence France-Presse reported.

The earthquake’s epicenter was in the Marmara Sea’s Gemlik Bay, which lies about 60 kilometers (35 miles) south of İstanbul, near the city of Bursa, according to the AFAD emergencies service.

AFP reporters felt walls shake on both the Asian and European sides of İstanbul, with television images showing people walking out on the street for safety.

Turkey’s most populated city is situated near the North Anatolian Fault, one of the most active in the world.

A 7.6-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter on the city’s eastern outskirts killed more than 17,000 people in 1999.

The number of İstanbulites has roughly doubled since then, to 16 million people.

Two major earthquakes claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people in southeastern Turkey in February, damaging or destroying tens of thousands of buildings across several cities.

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