No alarm, but a reminder: Turkey’s new quake reminds Almaty of its seismic setting

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near the coastal town of Marmaris early Tuesday, shaking parts of southwestern Turkey and prompting concern as far away as Kazakhstan.

According to ABC News, citing the Associated Press, the quake occurred at 2:17 a.m. local time and was centered in the Mediterranean Sea, just off the resort town’s coast. Though no structural collapses were reported, a teenage girl died after suffering a panic attack during the tremor.

Authorities said around 70 people sustained minor injuries, many of them after leaping from balconies and windows in panic. The shaking was felt in neighboring regions, including the Greek island of Rhodes, where residents and tourists briefly evacuated buildings. Local officials there reported only minor damage.

Greek seismologist Efthymios Lekkas, head of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, said the quake’s impact was less severe due to its depth, measured at 60 kilometers beneath the seabed.

Turkey lies atop several active fault lines and experiences frequent seismic activity. In 2023, a catastrophic magnitude 7.8 earthquake claimed more than 53,000 lives in the country and caused widespread destruction across 11 provinces. Another 6,000 deaths were reported in northern Syria.

In Kazakhstan, such news is widely considered worrying, as the largest city in the country, Almaty, is situated in the most seismic zone in the region. On March 4, residents of Almaty reported a quite powerful earthquake of 5.0 magnitude with the epicenter 31 kilometers from the city. The Almaty region and the Zhetysu region also reported quakes with magnitudes 5.0 and 2.0, respectively.

To address the issue, the Almaty city authorities plan to introduce a new system of instant warnings, replacing the current system of SMS notifications that have proven to be ineffective. However, serious damage might occur in the densely populated Almaty if earthquakes were to happen closer to the city.

In early March, Minister of National Economy Nurlan Baybazarov, who was later replaced with Serik Zhumangarin, said that the government would do everything necessary to help the city if something bad happened. «The government is keeping an eye on the situation in Almaty. We’ve discussed this issue today. The minister for emergencies reported on the current situation. Of course, the government has some reserves that are replenished every year. These resources will be allocated for dealing with the consequences of any potential disaster. We all hope that it will never happen in Almaty,» Baybazarov said at the time.