Magnitude 5 earthquake jolts northwestern Turkey

A moderate earthquake with a magnitude of five shook the northwestern province of Düzce on Wednesday afternoon, causing panic, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD).

İstanbul’s Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Center put the magnitude of the earthquake at 5.2.

The tremor was also felt in nearby İstanbul and several other neighboring provinces. AFAD said the earthquake occurred at a depth of 18 kilometers, adding that no casualties or damage have been reported so far in Düzce or elsewhere.

Düzce was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in 1999 that claimed the lives of more than 700 people. It was the second earthquake that struck the Marmara region that year. The first temblor, measuring 7.6, struck the city of İzmit, 90 kilometers southeast of İstanbul, killing more than 17,000 people.

Turkey is crisscrossed by fault lines and is prone to earthquakes.