Moderate earthquake shakes north-western Turkey

A moderate earthquake shook north-western Turkey today, the Istanbul-based Kandilli seismology institute said. There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 4.5, centred in the city of Adapazari – one of the hardest hit areas in a 1999 earthquake that killed more than 17,000 people. Adapazari lies 90 miles east of Istanbul.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the active North Anatolian fault.