ANKARA, Turkey - A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 shook the capital of Ankara on Thursday, Turkey's Istanbul-based Kandilli seismology center said. There was no immediate reports of any major damage or injuries.
The earthquake, which struck at the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival, lasted for a few minutes, and caused apartment buildings and furniture to sway and chandeliers to fall.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 5.3.
Kandilli said the epicenter of the quake was the town of Bala, some 50 miles south of Ankara. There were two smaller quakes, measuring 3.9 and 4.0, earlier in the day.
Gov. Kemal Onal said there were no immediate reports of any casualties in the quake.
"Emergency services have left for Bala to assess possible damage in the villages," Onal said.
Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the active North Anatolian fault, though they are rare in the capital.
Two devastating earthquakes killed about 18,000 people in northwestern Turkey in 1999. In 2003, a school dormitory collapsed following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Bingol, in southeast Turkey, killing 83 children.
