Istanbul: An unexpected and emotional scene unfolded in Turkey’s capital Istanbul on Monday afternoon when CNN Turk news anchor Meltem Bozbeyoglu stopped the interview during a live broadcast amid the tremors of the earthquake and requested her producer to contact her mother. Suddenly stopping the interview on live television, visibly shaken Bozbeyoglu said, “We felt it very badly.”
During this, she spoke to colleagues through her earpiece and said, “Can you contact my mother?” and then added another message, “Can you please contact me on WhatsApp?” The studio was in a panic due to the tremors and Bozbeyoglu also apologized to the audience without hiding her fear, “I was scared, I apologize if I made you panic.” She further added, “I am 32 years old and this is the first time I have felt such a big earthquake.”
6.2 Earthquake intensity on CNN live in Istanbul, Turkey
News anchor is quite scared. pic.twitter.com/WLQxgExsh5— Disasters Daily (@DisastersAndI) April 23, 2025
Earthquake intensity and impact
Three earthquakes struck just before 1 pm local time, with the most powerful measuring 6.2. Its epicenter was under the Sea of Marmara, about 40 km south of Istanbul. After the earthquake, people were seen running out of homes, cafes and shops in fear. However, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) clarified that “there are no reports of any loss of life or structural damage.”
God response: “May God protect us from disasters”
Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote in his message on social media, “I send my best wishes to our citizens affected by the earthquake. May God protect our country and our nation from disasters.”
Memories of the devastating past are fresh again
This earthquake brought back memories of the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023, which killed more than 59,000 people. The shadow of that tragedy had not yet completely disappeared when another tremor shook the people.
