Ankara, May 17 – A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck central Turkey on Thursday, shaking the capital Ankara and surrounding areas, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage, officials said.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported the quake occurred at 3:46 p.m. local time, with the epicentre located 14 km northeast of Kulu, a district in Konya province. The tremor was strongly felt in Ankara, prompting concern among residents, but emergency services have not yet reported any structural damage or injuries.
The tremor follows a 6.1 magnitude offshore earthquake near Fry, Greece, recorded early Wednesday at a depth of 78 km, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). That quake triggered precautionary tsunami warnings and was felt across Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan.
Turkey sits on several active fault lines and experiences frequent seismic activity. The country’s disaster management authority notes that Turkey averages at least one magnitude 5 earthquake annually.
Earlier this year, Greece’s island of Santorini experienced a series of moderate quakes above magnitude 5, though no major damage was reported.
In February 2023, a catastrophic series of earthquakes devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria. The initial 7.8 magnitude quake, followed by a 7.5 magnitude aftershock, resulted in the deaths of more than 59,000 people in Turkey and 8,000 in Syria, along with widespread destruction.
Seismologists continue to monitor seismic activity across the region, which remains one of the most earthquake-prone zones globally.
