Shallow M5 Earthquake Strikes Karaköprü, Şanlıurfa

Overview

• A shallow quake centered in the Karaköprü district shook southeastern Turkey on Thursday and registered about M5 with agencies reporting magnitudes between 5.1 and 5.8 and a depth near 7–10 km.
• Authorities and AFAD reported no deaths or major collapses after rapid inspections and closed schools, kindergartens and daycare centres in Şanlıurfa as a precaution while field surveys continue.
• Emergency teams found only limited damage so far, such as small plaster and wall cracks in rural Pınarbaşı, and transport and communications networks remained operational according to official briefings.
• Seismologists expect aftershocks that could reach roughly magnitude 4.5 and geologists identified the Bozova fault as the source, noting the fault system stretches tens of kilometres and has the capacity to produce much larger quakes.
• The event has raised public concern in a region still recovering from the February 2023 earthquakes and keeps authorities on alert for further inspections, monitoring and possible impacts on vulnerable buildings.