A powerful earthquake has struck the western province of Turkey, destroying buildings and leveling some to the ground.

The incident has led to residents being trapped in the rubble as first responders are rushing to the scene to attend to the matter.

Turkish authorities have confirmed that the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.1 and it took place at 7:53 pm local time in the Balikesir province, which is near Turkey’s biggest city of Istanbul. No reports of casualties were shared with the public yet, as this is a developing story.

Other local reports shared by Turkish media outlets spoke about a dozen buildings falling to the ground.

The earthquake had an epicenter in the town of Sindirgi, which sent shocks that were felt nearly 200 km to the north of Istanbul, which is a city that houses more than 16 million people.

Several houses were also said to have collapsed in the nearby village of Golcuk. The health minister shared on X how four people were rescued from the rubble and are now being treated in a hospital. None of them was said to be in danger, he declared.