An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the open-ended Richter scale struck the Bay of Gemlik, north-western Turkey, at 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) Tuesday, the Kandilli Observatory in Istanbul reported.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, but frightened residents took to the streets of Gemlik town, which is about 100 kilometers (63 miles) south of Istanbul, where the quake was also felt. "There is no damage and there are no casualties," Gemlik Mayor Mehmet Turgut told the CNN-Turk news channel, insisting that there was no panic.
"People naturally rushed to the streets, but that was all," Turgut said. "We really felt it," an Istanbul resident told AFP by telephone. "I had to throw myself under a table."