Residents of Istanbul on April 23 spent the whole night sleeping in open spaces amid fears that destructive aftershocks could follow the series of earthquakes that hit the city earlier in the day.

Around noon local time, the biggest of those quakes, measured at 6.2-magnitude, shook the Turkish cultural and commercial capital of towards 20mn inhabitants. Although it led to an air of panic, the tremor did not cause any casualties or the collapse of buildings. However, around 150 people were injured after leaping from properties in fear of structures coming down.

All schools, including universities, in Istanbul are to remain closed through April 24 and 25, though the pause in education was limited to only one day in provinces neighbouring the city that were also shaken by the quakes, namely Tekirdag, Yalova and Kocaeli.

Minister of Education Yusuf Tekin (@Yusuf__Tekin) wrote on X that school grounds were an option to all citizens seeking a safe open space to spend the night.

Video: Residents in Esenyurt district of Istanbul slept outside.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited people who were staying in a park in Kagithane district.

There was anger among city inhabitants that the mobile networks of the key GSM operators failed to function after the quakes, while there was more frustration as airline ticket prices boomed and stores hiked prices charged for earthquake and first aid kits as well as tents.

Queues built up at stores selling tents.