Sri Lanka, April 23 -- A powerful earthquake has struck Istanbul.

The tremor, measuring 6.2 in magnitude according to Turkey's AFAD disaster agency, shook the city of 16 million people earlier today.

The epicentre was located near Silivri, a coastal town about 80 kilometres west of Istanbul.

The quake, which occurred at 12:49 PM local time, struck at a depth of 10 kilometres and was felt across Istanbul and surrounding areas.

While initial reports are still coming in, emergency services are assessing the situation.

People in Istanbul evacuated buildings as the ground shook.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hiru News....