Many Istanbul residents have spent the night outdoors, too fearful to return to their homes, following a strong earthquake and over 180 aftershocks.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Feb. 6, 2023, and a second powerful tremor that came hours later, destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern Turkish provinces, leaving more than 53,000 people dead. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.

A strong earthquake rattled Istanbul, Turkey, and neighboring regions, sending panicked people pouring into streets but apparently causing no major damage.