A magnitude 6.1 earthquake has struck Turkey’s northwestern province of Balikesir, killing at least one person and causing about a dozen buildings to collapse.

The country’s disaster management authority AFAD said the quake occurred at around 7:53 pm local time in Balikesir province, near Istanbul.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake as well as several aftershocks rocked a huge swathe of Turkey on Sunday evening, with the epicentre in Turkey's Balikesir province