A moderate earthquake rattled Istanbul on 29 September 2004, registering a magnitude of 4.0, according to the director of the Kandilli seismological institute.

The tremor hit at 6:45 p.m. local time (1545 GMT), with its epicenter located in the Marmara Sea near the Princes' Islands. Kandilli director Gulay Barbarosoglu confirmed the magnitude after measurements were finalized.

Residents rushed outdoors in alarm, though no injuries or structural damage were immediately reported.

Seismic activity is common across Türkiye. The country suffered two devastating earthquakes in 1999 that together killed around 20,000 people.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.