Video: Anchor cuts interview to call mother during Istanbul earthquake
What's the story
Three earthquakes as powerful as 6.2 magnitude hit Turkey's biggest city, Istanbul, on Wednesday. The tremor was felt around 12:49 local time (09:49 GMT). It caused mass evacuations as a wave of quakes struck the country one after the other. Its epicenter was 40 kilometers south of Istanbul, approximately 10 kilometers beneath the Sea of Marmara, but it was close enough to send shockwaves in Istanbul.
On-air interruption
CNN Turk anchor's live broadcast disrupted by quake
Live TV captured the moment the quake hit as CNN Turk news anchor Meltem Bozbeyoglu was interviewing a guest when the studio started shaking violently. Calm but urgent, she interrupted the interview and asked her producer to call her mother. Despite the circumstances, she gave a thumbs-up to the camera and remained in the studio to keep viewers updated on the earthquake's aftermath. The tremor lasted for about 15 seconds.
Twitter Post
Watch the video here
CNN Türk’te canlı yayında depreme yakalanan Meltem Bozbeyoğlu’nun videosunu sosyal medyada izledim. Elbete heyecanlanmış, ancak soğukkanlı 🤗👏👏👏💐 Annemi arayın lütfen deyişi … Kıyamam 🥰❤️ pic.twitter.com/7QOXWCQUBG
— G. Nazan Günay (@nazangunay) April 23, 2025
Impact assessment
Casualties and damages reported after Istanbul earthquake
After the quake, reports said at least 151 people were admitted to hospitals after jumping off buildings in panic. According to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), there were no reports of death or major destruction yet. As many as 59,000 people died in February 2023 when a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.